Indonesia won't institute mass culling

I am currently in Singapore, and read in today's Strait Times (no link available) that Indonesia will in fact not comply with its promised program of mass cullings.  The government claims it does not have enough money to compensate farmers (it would need about $90 million and claims to have only about $10 million available).  Instead, only pigs and poultry with confirmed cases of avian flu will be culled.

This should come as no surprise.  Many reports about poor countries taking action against avian flu are in fact little more than press releases.  Few developing countries have the institutions or the resources or the will to do what is necessary.

The WHO representative in Indonesia refused to comment.