MINISTER : NO FAMINE IN YAHUKIMO

Bogor, Sept 7 (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie has denied that there had been a famine in Yahukimo district in Papua.

He said here on Monday he had received reports from the Yahukimo district head and church officials that no famine had occurred in the district.

"I was shocked to read reports about it while the fact was that no such problem has happened. I have received reports from the district head as well as church officials that no such thing has occurred," he said at a limited cabinet meeting on recent quake, chaired by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Bogor Palace.

He said reports from the district head and church leaders were based on field inspections. He said they had also denied that some people had died because of famine.

"So no one has died because of a famine. Sure there must always be deaths every day. Even in Jakarta deaths happen every day," he said.

Since the famine two years ago in the district, the chief minister said, the government had already improved food, education and health conditions in the region.

He said the government had extended top seeds for cultivation in several districts in the regions to overcome food problems. He admitted that some districts still grew crops with seeds which were not prime and vulnarable to deseases.
"No famine has occured. It was only a crop failure and it did not cause a famine," he said.

Local media in Papua had recently reported that a famine had swept several areas in Yahukimo such as Sutamon, Langda, Bomela and Seralada.

According to them the situation broke out in January 29 and 92 people had died because of it.