Jobless say no to transmigration

Jobless say no to transmigration

TANGERANG (JP): Many dismissed workers have refused the
government's offer of resettlement in Sumatra or Kalimantan
because they fear forest fires in either area would destroy their
hopes for a better future.

They said they had heard from friends who had been resettled
in the two areas under the state-sponsored transmigration
program, that fires had affected their cash crops and their
health.

"I don't think transmigration is a solution to the crisis,"
Sumpena, 37, who was fired from PT Gajah Tunggal four months ago,
told Antara.

Sumpena, a father of two who hails from the West Java regency
of Subang, said he decided to give the transmigration offer a
miss after his friends in Jambi and Samarinda told him of the
fires.

Many other workers who have lost their jobs as more and more
companies sink into economic difficulties aired similar opinions
about joining the transmigration program.

Carmin, a jobless worker from Cirebon, West Java, for example,
changed his mind about moving to Kalimantan after friends told
him the forest fires were so bad that people in affected areas
had to wear face masks to protect themselves from the haze. (pan)