Social envy explosive problem

Social envy explosive problem

DILI, East Timor: Social envy is the most pressing problem in the province and needs to be solved soon, a senior local legislator said yesterday.

"Social envy will cause more problems if it is not properly resolved," said Soenartono, deputy chief of the provincial legislative council.

He said that social problems have often sparked unrest in the former Portuguese colony that was integrated into Indonesia in 1976.

The province was rocked by a series of ethnic riots last month following the murder of a local youth by a migrant from South Sulawesi.

The high unemployment rate makes conditions in the territory especially explosive, he said as quoted by Antara.

The local government plans to deport more than 2,000 jobless migrants so that more jobs will go to locals. (pan)