Maluku to check famine report

AMBON, Maluku: Vice Governor R.S. Soeranto has said the administration would investigate reports that thousands of people on Wetang and Marsela islands in Maluku Tenggara regency were facing famine.

"I will ask for a report from the Maluku Tenggara regent," Soeranto was quoted by Antara as saying on Thursday. "But I trust the regent is doing everything he can to overcome the problem."

A visiting primary school teacher from Wetang, Hermanus Tailak, reported earlier that islanders were running out of food stocks because of a drought and recent attacks on their corn and sweet potato crops by various pests.

Many of them have had to resort to eating leaves, he said.

Maluku Tenggara Regent Husein Rahayaan said he had recently arranged for a shipment of five metric tons of rice to the two islands. (emb)