Support in sight for Natuna province

PEKANBARU, Riau: The House of Representatives is set to support the establishment of a separate province on Natuna and Anambas islands, a legislator claims.

Hamdan Zoelva of House Commission II on domestic and legal affairs said on Sunday the legislative body would welcome the plan as long as it followed proper procedures.

"A proposal to create a separate province is OK. Controversy is not the core issue, so just go ahead with the plan," Hamdan told a seminar here on Sunday.

Talks of plans to set up a province on Natuna have been intensifying after people on the natural gas-rich island rejected a law that established Riau islands as a separate province from the mainland. The proposed new province, will the 31st in the country.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri endorsed last week the law to establish Riau islands although the regional legislature in Riau has not agreed to the plan.

Hamdan suggested that Natuna Legislative Council demand a revision to the law as a condition for its proposal to form a separate province.

A member of Riau Regional Autonomy Council, Tabrani Rab, threw his weight behind the formation of Natuna-Anambas province, saying the islands deserved the status due to their natural resources and strategic geographical location. -- JP