Aceh 'refugees' encroach on park

MEDAN, North Sumatra: More than 500 families of Acehnese who fled clashes between separatist rebels and the military have encroached on Gunung Leuser National Park, a non-governmental organization reported on Friday.

They have turned part of the park into a refugee camp and built a school as their number constantly increases, according to Ridwan AR, coordinator of Conservation Management of Leuser.

The first group of 200 families (800 people) came to the park in October, 2000. Last November, Conservation Management of Leuser and a number of NGOs helped 151 families (628 people) move to Riau.

But as the tension has continued to increase, displaced persons have started to arrive in larger numbers since then. Now, over 500 families live in the protected state property.

"We suspect that many of them are, in fact, not Acehnese who fled the violence in their villages. Many of them have identity cards from Karo and Tapanuli (in North Sumatra)," said Ridwan.

Ridwan said he suspected that many of the refugees were in fact people who were working for cukong, or financiers, who paid them to steal wood from the park.

Among those financiers were executives of the local chapter of the Indonesian Farmers' Association (HKTI). The park management had sought to relocate the "refugees", Ridwan said. (42)