Riau Islands soon to be province

BATAM: Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on Friday the government would officially inaugurate Riau Islands province before the July 5 presidential election.

"We're still conducting field studies to establish the structure of the regional administration," said Hari.

He said results of the studies would be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting, while gubernatorial candidates would be selected from among senior state officials.

Hari said the government had appointed former regional secretary of Batam city, Mambang Mit, to fill the same position in the new province.

Meanwhile, the Riau administration continued its criticisms over the law on the creation of Riau Islands province, saying it contained legal flaws.

"The local administration can propose another draft to improve the existing law, if they feel that there are legal flaws," said Hari. -- Antara