Aceh protester dies on hunger strike
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A 12-day-long protest by 600 Acehnese transmigrant refugees over the slow disbursement of resettlement funds has claimed the life of one, and hospitalized four others.
Coordinator of the Aceh Refugee Advocacy Forum (FPAA) Ikhwaluddin Simatupang said on Monday that the 43-year old refugee, Sakino, had died of malnutrition even though he had not joined the hunger strike being staged by 48 other refugees.
Ikhwaluddin said the health situation of the approximately 600 refugees was deteriorating by the day due to a lack of food.
Since their protest began 12 days ago, he said, the refugees have been relying solely on charity from locals.
"The refugees eat only if someone gives them money. Otherwise they don't eat the whole day," Ikhwaluddin told The Jakarta Post over the phone.
Sakino died on Saturday in a hospital in Langkat regency.
Four of the 48 refugees, who have been on hunger strike since last week, were rushed to Sundari Hospital in Medan on Sunday and on Monday.
The refugees were protesting the suspended disbursement of resettlement funds from the government.
Last December, Jakarta suspended its aid over suspicions that Rp 2.6 billion (about US$290,000) of the Rp 105 billion program had been embezzled by local officials in North Sumatra.
The humanitarian aid program covered 12,000 families, and each was to get Rp 8.75 million.
Following the protest by the refugees, Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah promised last Thursday to disburse the funds to the remaining families.
On Monday, another group of 3,000 refugees from Aceh came to the office of North Sumatra Governor Rizal Nurdin, demanding the immediate disbursement of the funds as promised by Bachtiar.
Rizal, however, was in Jakarta and the 3,000 protesters decided to camp outside his office until they received a reply.
A 26-year war in Aceh between the Indonesian military and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has forced many to flee to neighboring provinces in Sumatra.