Acehnese refugees flood N. Sumatra
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
North Sumatra has begun to feel the effect of the war in Aceh, as hundreds of people have been streaming down from the neighboring province seeking refuge.
The displaced people, mostly women, fled their homes in Southeast Aceh regency to safer areas in Tanah Karo and Dairi regencies in North Sumatra, which border Aceh.
Tanah Karo Police Head Adj. Sr. Comr. M. Natari said the Acehnese refugees had been flooding Tanah Karo as a number of armed people, presumably members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), had been spotted around their village.
The refugees, who come from Gajah Mati village in Southeast Aceh, have taken shelter in Perbulan village in Lau Baleng district, said Natari.
He said the police would check the refugees closely, particularly the men, to see whether they were GAM members or were linked in any way to the rebels.
"At present, we must be suspicious of anyone coming from Aceh, as it is possible that GAM members disguise themselves as refugees when they are under pressure," Natari told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
He also confirmed the presence of Acehnese refugees in Dairi.
Police in North Sumatra have been on high alert against possible GAM attacks since last month, when blasts rocked the capital city of Medan and Deli Serdang regency. Four people have been arrested and police confirmed they were connected to GAM.
Separately, North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin said the provincial government had allocated Rp 500 million (US$55,000) and 41 tons of rice to help the refugees during their stay in North Sumatra.
"The fund will be distributed to the refugees while we await the disbursement of aid from the central government," he told the Post.
Rizal said that the North Sumatra administration had prepared 16 areas in the province to accommodate Acehnese refugees, but did not elaborate.
Although the refugee camps have been set up and other shelter would be constructed by the government, Rizal said some refugees might prefer to rent houses in Medan instead.
North Sumatra has received thousands of Aceh refugees over the past few years as the security situation has grown worse.
Meanwhile, real estate businessman Armyn Hakim Daulay said that demand to rent or buy houses in Medan and its surrounding areas among Acehnese had increased sharply.
"After the imposition of military law in Aceh, one of the significant impacts in North Sumatra has been that the rent and the price of houses have risen by up to 75 percent," he said.
He said the rent for a medium-sized house was now between Rp 6 million and 8 million annually, but that it had been between Rp 4 million and Rp 5 million annually prior to the massive military offensive against GAM.
The rent for lower-class housing has also risen to between Rp 2.5 million and Rp 4.5 million per year, from between Rp 1.5 million and Rp 3 million per year before the military operation, he said.
The price of houses, which previously stood at Rp 35 million, now reaches Rp 45 million.
The refugees usually contact their relatives or colleagues in North Sumatra to house-hunt for them, he said.
Medan Sunggal, Kelambir and Semayang are among those areas in North Sumatra favored by the Acehnese.