Tourism plan meets opposition

Tourism plan meets opposition

BATAM, Riau: An alliance of 38 Muslim organizations in Batam
staged a demonstration on Monday, protesting the local
administrations' plan to establish an exclusive gambling and
prostitution on the island.

The demonstrators who also held a free speech forum at the
local legislative building, asked the legislative council to turn
down the plan.

"We will deploy more Muslim people to stage a major
demonstration to force the legislative council to drop the local
administration's crazy plan," said Muhammad S. Laba who
coordinated the demonstration.

Local people have been divided over the local administration's
plan to develop an exclusive tourist resort worth US$400 million
on the island with a foreign businessman. --Antara