No more transmigrants for Irian Jaya

No more transmigrants for Irian Jaya

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: Irian Jaya will not receive any more
transmigrants, but instead focus on programs improving the
welfare of those who have already moved to the easternmost
province, a councillor said.

Councillor Selamat Hutagalung, chairman of the Irian Jaya
Council's Commission E for social welfare affairs, said the
program in the next fiscal year of 2000/2001 would be very
different from previous years.

"There will be no additional transmigrants coming from other
provinces or new locations," Hutagalung told The Jakarta Post on
Saturday.

He said the Ministry of Transmigration and Population would
concentrate on improvements to current transmigrant locations
while a new location would be reserved for Irianese returning
from Papua New Guinea.

He said the budget allocated for the transmigration program
would be slashed to Rp 24 billion in the next fiscal year from Rp
80 billion in the previous fiscal year. (eba)