Tribespeople to be resettled

PALU, Central Sulawesi: Donggala Regent Sjachbuddin Labadjo has asked the provincial transmigration office to resettle 1,205 members of the Tomini tribe now facing a food shortage in Palasa village.

Labadjo was quoted by Antara as saying the nomadic tribespeople roamed the mountainous hamlets of Bambasing, Nasai and Labani and used slash-and-burn methods.

The long drought this year has destroyed their crops, he said.

He said that difficult terrain and the long trek to the village was one reason why development had not yet entered the region.

The local administration has provided a 400 hectare plot of land in the vicinity of Tomini district for the tribe's resettlement. (swe)