Pig problems

Pig problems

I am writing about the issue of permitting the relocation of
a pig husbandry site in West Java (Merdeka, April 12, 16 and 23,
1996). The government should think twice before consenting to the
relocation plan. I, a Moslem, respect the decision made by local
governments of Bogor, Karawang, Bekasi and Tangerang in
categorically rejecting the establishment of pig farms in West
Java. I deplore and am disappointed by the West Java deputy
governor and Indramayu regent for allowing the establishment of
pig farms.

Some 90 percent of the West Java population are Moslems, who
are allergic to the mere mention of pigs. I appeal to the would-
be investors to remember that their business could insult
Moslems.

From a health point of view, the pigs' excrement will damage
the environment. The bad smell will spread over the neighborhood
and may spread diseases to human beings -- as was the case in
Irian Jaya. Hundreds of Irians died of the disease.

I had a bad experience with a disease originating from pigs.
When I was assigned in Hanoi, Vietnam, in the 1980s, I was
infected and spent 10 days in an Hanoi hospital. The disease was
carried by mosquitoes. Many people die of this disease in Hanoi
during the dry monsoon.

E. KARTAAMIDJAJA

Bogor, West Java