Govt determined to solve resettlement problem this year<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government is determined to send around 208,000 refugees back
\nto their home villages or resettle them in other, safer areas
\nthis year, but it will postpone the resettlement program in war-
\ntorn Aceh as the military offensive there is still underway.<\/p>\n
Director General for Population Mobility at the
\nMinistry of Manpower and Transmigration, Dyah Paramawartiningsih,
\nsaid here on Friday that there were still 8,000 transmigrants who
\nhad left their settlement areas in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku
\nand Papua because of the recent ethnic and sectarian conflicts in
\nthese regions.<\/p>\n
"Some of them will be sent back to their original settlement
\nareas, while some others will be resettled in new resettlement
\nareas across the country," she said after seeing off 100 West
\nJava transmigrant families who were leaving for their new homes
\nin Banyu Asin, South Sumatra.<\/p>\n
She said she was also optimistic that 200,000 indigenous
\npeople who had fled conflicts in their home areas in Kalimantan,
\nCentral Sulawesi, Maluku and North Maluku would be sent back home
\nor resettled in new areas by the end of this year.<\/p>\n
She added that the situation in these former conflict areas
\nhad been gradually returning to normal.<\/p>\n
Sambas in West Kalimantan and Sampit in Central Kalimantan
\nwere affected by a racial conflict between indigenous Melayu and
\nDayak people and Madurese settlers in 2000 and 2001, while Poso
\nin Central Sulawesi, Maluku and North Maluku were the scenes of a
\nbloody sectarian conflict that lasted from 1999 until 2002.<\/p>\n
Dyah said the government during a recent limited Cabinet
\nmeeting decided to resolve the refugee problem by Dec. 31, 2003,
\nat the latest. If this proved to be impossible, the problem would
\nbe handled under the poverty eradication program.<\/p>\n
She failed to explain the difference between the resettlement
\nprogram and the poverty eradication program. Under the refugee
\nresettlement program, refugees are given one kilogram of rice and
\nRp 500 per person per day, and Rp 8 million per family to go back
\nhome, while under the transmigration program, transmigrants are
\npaid their transportation costs, and are given two hectares of
\nfarmland. Their living costs are covered for their first year in
\nthe resettlement area.<\/p>\n
Since 1999, the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, in
\ncooperation with local and foreign non-governmental
\norganizations, has resettled one million refugees who were
\ndisplaced by ethnic and sectarian conflicts in the regions,
\nincluding Aceh and West Timor.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Untung Subianto, a member of one of the 100
\nfamilies being resettled again, this time in South Sumatra, said
\nhe and his family had left Aceh some years ago when rebels
\nattempted to drive all migrants from the province.<\/p>\n
"Sometime when the situation returns to normal, I will return
\nto Aceh to work my large farm, which has being lying idle now for
\nyears," he said.<\/p>\n
Touched by Untung's words, Dyah called on the transmigrants to
\nkeep their land certificates, saying: "All of you will be allowed
\nto return to Aceh after normalcy is restored in the province, but
\nnow you should work hard to survive and to make money for when
\nyou go back to Aceh."<\/p>\n
She said it was impossible for the refugees to go back to Aceh
\nat the moment as the situation still remained uncertain following
\nthe imposition of martial law and the launching of the military
\noffensive to quell the armed rebellion by the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM).<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-determined-to-solve-resettlement-problem-this-year-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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