Acehnese refugees flood N. Sumatra<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
North Sumatra has begun to feel the effect of the war in Aceh, as
\nhundreds of people have been streaming down from the neighboring
\nprovince seeking refuge.<\/p>\n
The displaced people, mostly women, fled their homes in
\nSoutheast Aceh regency to safer areas in Tanah Karo and Dairi
\nregencies in North Sumatra, which border Aceh.<\/p>\n
Tanah Karo Police Head Adj. Sr. Comr. M. Natari said the
\nAcehnese refugees had been flooding Tanah Karo as a number of
\narmed people, presumably members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM),
\nhad been spotted around their village.<\/p>\n
The refugees, who come from Gajah Mati village in Southeast
\nAceh, have taken shelter in Perbulan village in Lau Baleng
\ndistrict, said Natari.<\/p>\n
He said the police would check the refugees closely,
\nparticularly the men, to see whether they were GAM members or
\nwere linked in any way to the rebels.<\/p>\n
\"At present, we must be suspicious of anyone coming from Aceh,
\nas it is possible that GAM members disguise themselves as
\nrefugees when they are under pressure,\" Natari told The Jakarta
\nPost on Friday.<\/p>\n
He also confirmed the presence of Acehnese refugees in Dairi.<\/p>\n
Police in North Sumatra have been on high alert against
\npossible GAM attacks since last month, when blasts rocked the
\ncapital city of Medan and Deli Serdang regency. Four people have
\nbeen arrested and police confirmed they were connected to GAM.<\/p>\n
Separately, North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin said the
\nprovincial government had allocated Rp 500 million (US$55,000)
\nand 41 tons of rice to help the refugees during their stay in
\nNorth Sumatra.<\/p>\n
\"The fund will be distributed to the refugees while we await
\nthe disbursement of aid from the central government,\" he told the
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Rizal said that the North Sumatra administration had prepared
\n16 areas in the province to accommodate Acehnese refugees, but
\ndid not elaborate.<\/p>\n
Although the refugee camps have been set up and other shelter
\nwould be constructed by the government, Rizal said some refugees
\nmight prefer to rent houses in Medan instead.<\/p>\n
North Sumatra has received thousands of Aceh refugees over the
\npast few years as the security situation has grown worse.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, real estate businessman Armyn Hakim Daulay said
\nthat demand to rent or buy houses in Medan and its surrounding
\nareas among Acehnese had increased sharply.<\/p>\n
\"After the imposition of military law in Aceh, one of the
\nsignificant impacts in North Sumatra has been that the rent and
\nthe price of houses have risen by up to 75 percent,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the rent for a medium-sized house was now between Rp 6
\nmillion and 8 million annually, but that it had been between Rp 4
\nmillion and Rp 5 million annually prior to the massive military
\noffensive against GAM.<\/p>\n
The rent for lower-class housing has also risen to between Rp
\n2.5 million and Rp 4.5 million per year, from between Rp 1.5
\nmillion and Rp 3 million per year before the military operation,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
The price of houses, which previously stood at Rp 35 million,
\nnow reaches Rp 45 million.<\/p>\n
The refugees usually contact their relatives or colleagues in
\nNorth Sumatra to house-hunt for them, he said.<\/p>\n
Medan Sunggal, Kelambir and Semayang are among those areas in
\nNorth Sumatra favored by the Acehnese.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehnese-refugees-flood-n-sumatra-1447893297",
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