Kutai locals demand own regency

Kutai locals demand own regency

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Leaders of community members living in coastal areas in Kutai Kartanegara district threatened on Wednesday to mobilize people to occupy vital oil and gas companies in their four subdistricts if their demand for a separate regency was rejected by the local authorities.

The people in the four subdistricts of Sangasanga, Samboja, Angggana and Muara Jawa have long urged the Kutai Kartanegara administration to approve their demand for the establishment of a Pantai (beach) regency.

The Kutai Kartanegara legislative body has opposed their wish to break away from their current regency and establish a new one.

Juraidin, leader of the Pantai People's Council (DRP), told journalists in the East Kalimantan capital of Samarinda that the organization would fight on to push the demand through the province's legislative body.

"We hope the East Kalimantan legislature can accept the demand and find the best solution to meet the aspirations of 90 percent of the people in the four subdistricts located in the coastal areas, which are home to about 110 people," he said.

He said if the debate on the issue became deadlocked, his organization would mobilize people to halt the operations of joint venture oil and gas firms in the region, including Total Finalelf, Vico Indonesia and Unocol, to push their demands.

The rejection of the demands would be illogical and subjective, Juraidin said. --Antara