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)