Half of Banyumas residents poor

Mon, 09/15/2008 10:07 AM  |  The Archipelago

BANYUMAS, C. Java: Half of the total 1.6 million residents of Banyumas regency in Central Java -- about 800,000 people -- were living in poverty last year, a local legislature said recently.

Banyumas Legislative Council deputy chairman Musaddad Bikri Nur said the number of poor people had increased from the previous year, when it stood at 600,000 people.

"The number is high, reaching 50 percent of the total population. It has created complex social problems," Musaddad told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Poverty and limited job opportunities cause an average of about 2,000 people to leave the regency to work overseas each year, according to data from the regency's manpower office.

Musaddad said that, instead of creating jobs, the regency allocated Rp 8 billion (US$851,000) last year to renovate 4,000 houses belonging to poor people. -- JP

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