JAKARTA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the second largest party in the country, called on the government to take firmer and more concrete actions in handling bird flu, including culling fowls reared non-commercially in residential areas.
PDI-P Secretary General Pramono Anum said Thursday that the government was still less firm in taking concrete steps and in implementing its bird flu handling policies.
"I have the impression the government is only advertising itself (in responding to the bird flu cases). It should have taken sterner, more concrete and more essential steps," Antara news agency quoted Pramono as saying.
He said bird flu spread had reached the worrying and appalling level as it had affected Jakarta, the country's capital city. Therefore, the central and regional governments should take firmer steps in eliminating the bird flu disease, including clearing fowls from residential areas.
On the rejection of residents to cull their non-commercial fowls, Pramono said the government should be firm though residents had the right to rear them.
The central government has issued an instruction to regions in the country, particularly those with high risks of bird flu to cull their birds, except those raised for commercial purposes.
Jakarta, West Java and Banten provinces were listed as having high bird flu risks.
Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari has said that owners of infected birds will receive 12,500 rupiah (about 1.5 U.S. dollars)in compensation for each bird.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso issued a decree on Wednesday which prohibited all backyard farming of poultry in residential areas tocurb the spread of bird flu.
Entering 2007, bird flu cases are once again on the rise. Sinceits outbreak in Indonesia in 2005, the virus has infected some 79 people. Of the total, 61 died.
Experts have warned international community of the risks of the disease, should Indonesia fail to prevent the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus from spreading.
