Tribal people need serious care

Tribal people need serious care

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: An estimated 1.1 million tribal
people need serious attention from the government to improve
their living conditions, an official said yesterday.

Masri Singarimbun said in a workshop over the weekend that the
tribal people consist of more than 214,400 families and live in
remote areas in 18 provinces across Indonesia.

"The people need care from all parties because the
government's financial capability is very limited," Singarimbun
was quoted by Antara as saying.

Singarimbun, who is also an anthropologist from Yogyakarta's
Gadjah Mada University, was addressing a workshop on isolated
tribes and the Bajau ethnic group.

Since 1973, the government has helped 177,000 isolated tribal
people across Indonesia, Singarimbun said. In the Sixth Five Year
Plan, that ends in 1999, the government targeted 48,000 isolated
families, he added. (pan)