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