Aceh refugees start to feel strain of life at camps

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe

It has been nine days now that M. Nasir has slept near a drainage ditch, sharing the space with many other refugees who missed out on a place in nine available tents in a refugee camp in Cut Meutia hospital complex, Lhokseumawe.

Sleeping under the stars is hard for this 51-year-old but as he has no other place to go, he hangs on, braving the cold wind at night and suffering from flu.

"I caught a cold because I've been sleeping near the ditch from the first day until now, without a blanket. The only thing I have is this thin mat," Nasir said.

The man, a fisherman before the tsunami hit the region, took shelter with his family after his village, Kuala, was destroyed. All of his family members survived but their homes are gone.

Cut Meutia hospital complex is one of the busiest refugee camps in Lhokseumawe, tending to some 3,427 refugees coming from five villages -- Blang Cut with 1,100 people; Kuala, 822; East Jambo, 710; Jambo Mesjid, 493; and Blang Teu, 302.

Sharing the same tragic experience, the refugees, who shelter together on the left side of the hospital, are quick to make friends.

Since the hospital was transformed into a refugee camp, the area is no longer as clean as it used to be. Garbage is scattered everywhere and in some places, people hang their laundry out to dry under the sun.

On the first day, the refugees even slept along the hospital's pavement, but from the second day on, many of them sleep in tents provided by the military. Every day, some 30 people squeeze in to each of the nine tents to sleep.

"If my son had not been sick, I wouldn't want to sleep in this tent. It has no lamp and there are so many mosquitoes," said Karisyam, a Kuala village resident.

It has been two days since the 36-year-old man -- who came to the camp with his wife and five children -- was given a place to sleep inside the tent. Before that, they slept in an unfinished mosque.

While at the mosque, his youngest son, two-and-a-half-year-old Mahyar Reza, suffered from diarrhea. The boy was treated for two days at the hospital, and when he had recovered, they were allowed to sleep in the tent.

Lack of available tents is not the only problems.

For the last two days, egg was included in the menu, only that one egg has to be shared with another refugee.

Karisyam said that earlier one egg had been intended for four people, or a ration of one salted fish between three.

"We've been through enough sufferings," said Karisyam.

Head of Kuala village Harun Rusman said that most of the Kuala villagers had no place to sleep in the tents.

Harun said he had asked the government to move the refugees from the camp. "I've proposed that we be moved to the penitentiary building in Peunteut village, Blang Mangat, because some of the refugees who were here were taken there. But there's been no response as of yet," said Harun, 43.

The refugees who were transferred to the penitentiary came from three villages -- Tunong with 543 refugees, Tengeh 372 and Baloy 416.

Refugee camp coordinator Abdullah said the request to move Kuala residents was still being considered as the penitentiary was already full.

He was also aware of the lack of tents and not enough food for everyone but he could not do much since the camp relied on aid while most of the incoming aid to the camp was from the people rather than the government.

"We've been asking the government (to distribute aid) here, but there's been no response," Abdullah said.

North Aceh disaster prevention post secretary T. Nadirsyah, said that aid was distributed to refugee camps every two days.

"Every aid package that we distribute to a camp is intended for two days, so there's no such thing as a shortage," he said.