K

UPANG: Strong public opposition to a government plan to move 10 Komodo dragons from their natural habitat to Bali was fervent as ever on Tuesday.

Rallies sprung up on Jl. Soeharto in East Nusa Tenggara's capital, Kupang, as student activists urged the governor to ignore a ministerial decree that sanctioned the transfer of the reptiles.

"If the goal of the move is genetic purification, why should the dragons have to leave their habitat? It's illogical," rally coordinator Herman Son said.

Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban issued a decree in February, allowing the transfer of 10 Komodo dragons from Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara to Bali Safari Park.

In a joint statement, the student activists requested the minister revoke the decree and thereby advocate the conservation of the rare reptile in the habitat to which it is endemic.