Number of refugees reaches 640,000<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As of mid-November, almost 640,000 displaced
\npeople were still in refugee centers built in eight provinces
\nacross the country, Minister of Home Affairs Surjadi Soedirdja
\nsaid on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a hearing with the House of Representatives
\nCommission II for home affairs, Surjadi said the refugees could
\nnot return home due to security concerns.<\/p>\n
\"They are afraid of disturbances waged by armed civilian
\ngroups,\" Surjadi said.<\/p>\n
The refuge camps are located in East Nusa Tenggara, Aceh,
\nNorth Sumatra, North Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, Southeast
\nSulawesi, South Sulawesi and East Java.<\/p>\n
Violence has jolted many parts of the country this year,
\ndating back to January when sectarian clashes first exploded in
\nMaluku. Thousands fled their homes for safety either in other
\nislands in the province or the neighboring provinces of South
\nSulawesi and North Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
East Nusa Tenggara became a home to over 260,000 East Timorese
\nwho began to trickle in after the Aug. 30 self-determination
\nballot in the former Portuguese colony. The exodus peaked
\nfollowing rampaging violence reportedly perpetrated by pro-
\nJakarta militias.<\/p>\n
The United Nations Commissioner for Refugees reported on
\nTuesday that 117,000 East Timorese refugees had returned to their
\nhomeland.<\/p>\n
Surjadi said all the displaced people still sheltering in
\nrefugee camps across the country fell under the supervision of
\nthe office of the coordinating minister for people's welfare and
\npoverty eradication.<\/p>\n
Legislator Panda Nababan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI-Perjuangan) suggested that in addition to food aid,
\nthe government should also provide the refugees with training in
\nseveral fields of work.<\/p>\n
Asked about the armed civilians whom he had blamed for causing
\nsecurity disturbances, especially in Aceh, Surjadi said the
\npossession of arms by civilians was against both the law and
\nuniversal rulings.<\/p>\n
\"The security authorities have to disarm those civilians,\" the
\nminister said.<\/p>\n
On the Maluku issue, Surjadi said the situation in the
\nprovince was improving after local community leaders demanded
\nthat the government should immediately reconstruct damaged
\nresidential areas in the province.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people have been killed during the conflict
\nbetween Muslims and Christians in Maluku since earlier this year.<\/p>\n
President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri visited Ambon, the capital of Maluku, on Sunday in
\nan effort to end the communal clashes.<\/p>\n
Donations<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, on the North Sulawesi island of Bitung, Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri handed over 400 boxes of clothes to refugees from
\nTernate and Tidore, North Maluku on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Megawati and her entourage, accompanied by Governor E.E.
\nMangindaan, visited a refugee shelter which was set up by a
\nrattan processing company, PT Mega Belia.<\/p>\n
She said the donations came from people in Jakarta who were
\nconcerned about the adversities the refugees were suffering.<\/p>\n
Megawati urged the refugees should try to solve their problems
\nby themselves, saying that it was the best way for the refugees.<\/p>\n
\"No one can change our fate except ourselves. Other people can
\nonly give hope and support,\" she was quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
She called on the refugees to hold on and maintain their hope
\nfor a better future.<\/p>\n
During her visit, Megawati was accompanied by her husband
\nTaufik Kiemas, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and
\nPoverty Eradication Basri Hasanuddin, Minister of Law and
\nLegislation Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Indonesian Military (TNI)
\nCommander Admiral Widodo Adisucipto.<\/p>\n
Mangindaan said the number of refugees from Ternate and Tidore
\nhad reached 13,508 as of mid-November.<\/p>\n
He said the refugees were farmers, fishermen, workers,
\nparamedics, teachers, civil servants and police officers and
\ntheir families.<\/p>\n
Most of the refugees were natives of North Sulawesi, according
\nto the governor. They were sheltered in their relatives' houses
\nin Bitung, Manado, Minahasa and Sangihe Talaud, he said.<\/p>\n
He said he had received Rp 313 million and 108 tons of rice
\nwhich was donated by the now-defunct Ministry of Social Affairs
\nand private timber firm PT Barito Pacific. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/number-of-refugees-reaches-640000-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}