Regent hates TV series

Regent hates TV series

BELU, East Nusa Tenggara: Regent S.M. Pareira says that he
detests the popular television soap operas known here as
telenovela, because he feels that they are detrimental to local
people's values.

The leader of Belu, with a population of 228,000, said
recently that the soap operas have turned his people into "couch-
potatoes".

"They spend hours in front of their TV sets. Students sneak
out of school to go home and watch those awful TV series," he
said. "It's fortunate that not many people here own televisions."

Belu is located on the border with neighboring province East
Timor.

Pareira said the soap operas are unrealistic, unreasonable and
non educational shows. "They consist only of people having
illicit love affairs or moving from one partner to another," he
said. (31)