Transmigrants go on hunger strike<\/p>\n
Five transmigrants who fled restive Aceh spent the second
\nsuccessive day on hunger strike at the provincial legislative
\ncouncil building here on Friday.<\/p>\n
They were among hundreds of people who have been staging
\nrallies over the past week to demand that the central government
\nrelocate 11,000 transmigrants in Aceh from refugee camps in North
\nSumatra and provide Rp 10 million in financial assistance for
\neach family.<\/p>\n
One of the protesters, Marlan, lies helplessly as fellow
\ndisplaced people encourage him. He complained on Friday of a
\nstomach cramps.<\/p>\n
The people said they were convinced more of there fellow
\nrefugees would join the hunger strike.<\/p>\n
"Today there are five more people who have stated their
\nintention of joining the hunger strike. I believe hundreds of us
\nwill follow suit on Monday," Himanuddin, the strike coordinator
\nfrom the Aceh Refugees Forum, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Apart from Marlan, 46, from East Aceh, the hunger strikers
\ncomprise Jumadi, 54, Sumardi, 48, both also from East Aceh,
\nJumat, 62, from North Aceh, and Sarmat, 47, from Aceh Singkil.<\/p>\n
They stopped eating at 10 a.m. on Thursday.<\/p>\n
"I have gone on hunger strike without my family knowing about
\nit and completely voluntarily," Jumat said.<\/p>\n
He planned to continue the hunger strike if the government
\nignored the people's demand to be resettled outside the conflict-
\ntorn Aceh. --JP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/transmigrants-go-on-hunger-strike-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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