Investors set to start business in Poso soon: Regent
Investors set to start business in Poso soon: Regent
Antara, Poso
More than 40 local and foreign investors are set to put billions
of rupiah into Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, when the violence
in the area settles, Regent Piet Ingkiriwang said.
Piet said on Saturday the investment was intended to develop
natural resources in the regency.
"The amount of the total new investment, which will soon be
channeled here, could be worth trillions of rupiah," Piet said.
He said investors planned to develop oil palm plantations of
35,000 hectares, a cacao factory and a marble quarry.
He said other sectors that could be developed included gold
mining, tourism and fisheries.
"Several prospective investors had expressed their intention
to start their projects early this month but they have postponed
them for a while following the latest security problems in the
regency," Piet said.
Tensions were still high in Poso after the beheadings of three
Christian schoolgirls last week, with about 1,000 more police and
soldiers sent to the area to prevent further unrest.
Piet hoped Poso residents and security personnel would work
together to bring calm to the area and improve the regency's
image.
"I have to insist that there's nothing to worry about in Poso
because the relationship between the (former) conflicting
communities is now good," he said.
He warned that further disorder would make it hard for the
regional administration to continue reconstruction in the area
after Muslim-Christian clashes in 2000 and 2001 killed more than
1,000 people and left hundreds of buildings destroyed.
"Those investors could postpone their work here again. If this
happens, it's the Poso residents who will suffer because it will
slow down the administration's programs, including work to cut
the region's unemployment rate," he said.
Poso National Awakening Party leader Firdaus Tato blamed the
many media reports about the latest violence in the regency for
creating the negative image.
"Report of an incident should ... include thorough information
about Poso residents' situation in general," Firdaus said.
He called for reporters to come to the region to witness the
positive work being done.
"The latest (terrorist) actions recently were the acts of
irresponsible people who want the area to revert back into chaos.
"The residents here, God willing, are not going to fall for
this trick because both Muslims and Christians understand it and
both condemn the provocateurs and see them as a common enemy," he
said.