Acehnese refugees face uncertain future<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
The government is still in the dark over the future of 48,404
\nAcehnese refugees being sheltered in regencies in North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
The North Sumatra provincial administration has offered the
\nrefugees various options, including a production-sharing
\narrangement under state plantation companies, enrolling in the
\ntransmigration program and working abroad under programs arranged
\nby the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration.<\/p>\n
\"The refugees, whose numbers are increasing each day, have
\nrejected all the offers except the transmigration program. They
\nare prepared to be resettled through the transmigration program
\nanywhere in the country except Aceh,\" Sofyan Nasution, the head
\nof the North Sumatra provincial social affairs agency,\" told The
\nJakarta Post in Medan on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He further said that under the transmigration program, the
\nrefugees, who mostly migrated from Java, would be given three
\nhectares of land per family in the resettlement areas. \"So what
\nthey want is to get the same plot of land they left behind after
\nthey were forced to leave Aceh,\" Sofyan said.<\/p>\n
The refugees left the restive province to avoid the armed
\nconflict between the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the
\nIndonesian Military (TNI) when police were sent to quell
\nseparatism and restore security there.<\/p>\n
Sofyan said that, so far, none of the provinces contacted were
\nwanting to accept the refugees. \"None of them are willing to
\nprovide resettlement areas for the Acehnese refugees.\"<\/p>\n
Citing an example, he said that regency administrations in
\nNorth Sumatra were reluctant to accept the refugees who they
\ncalled \"outsiders\".<\/p>\n
Camps in Langkat regency, the closest region of North Sumatra
\nto its strife-torn neighbor, are sheltering 37,768 refugees. Most
\ncome from the East Aceh, West Aceh and North Aceh regencies,
\nwhich are reported as having the most rampant armed conflicts.
\nMost refugees flocked to the regency between September 1999 and
\nJune 2001.<\/p>\n
The provincial administration has distributed a total amount
\nof Rp 8.8 billion (US$880,000) in aid for daily meals and 2.341
\ntons of rice for the refugees during the same period. The
\nadministration's assistance has not included donations from
\nlocals.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehnese-refugees-face-uncertain-future-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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