Ministers to visit Manokwari

Ministers to visit Manokwari

JAYAPURA, Papua: Nine ministers were scheduled to visit
Manokwari on Nov. 23, 2002 to see the injured victims of an
earthquake that killed eight people in the districts of Ransiki
and Oransbari in the regency in October.

The nine were Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Yusuf
Kalla, Minister for Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure
Soenarno, Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil Munawar,
Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah, Minister of
National Education Abdul Malik Fajar, Minister of Health Achmad
Suyudi, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea
and State Minister for the Acceleration of Development of Eastern
Indonesia Manuel Kaisiepo.

Spokesman for Manokawari administration Ferdinant Teniwut said
in Jayapura recently that the ministers were scheduled to visit
the villages jolted by the strong earthquake and hand over
financial aid to help rehabilitate damaged homes.

"The strong earthquake killed eight people, injured 639 others
and damaged a total of 536 houses in 17 regencies," he said.

Ferdinant said he was disappointed with the government's lack
of attention to the disaster, saying: "All the deceased have been
buried already and the wounded victims have already recovered
while other people have moved to safe areas." --JP