Quake-damaged buildings neglected

BENGKULU: Various public buildings on Enggano island, Bengkulu, which were severely damaged by a tectonic earthquake in June 2000, have been left in disrepair.

Among the structures wrecked by the earthquake are public health centers, the religious affairs office, secondary schools and the district administration office, which has been partly restored.

Bengkulu councillor Irsyahman said on Saturday that the only office that was still functioning on the isolated island was the district secretariat, while sea transportation between Enggano and Bengkulu was often disrupted.

Chairman of the Enggano Social Welfare Foundation Basir Kauno has been striving to utilize humanitarian aid from local and foreign contributors, which he believed had been provided in the form of construction materials, among other things. --Antara