Bireuen District Government Apologises for Deputy Regional Secretary's Statement About Evicting Flood Victims from Regent's Office
The Bireuen District Government has issued an apology for statements made by Acting Regional Secretary Hanafiah, who declared that the Regent’s office is not an evacuation area but an administrative space, and therefore flood victims pitching tents there could be forcibly removed.
“Government offices are not designated as evacuation sites, so it is entirely proper to evict them by force, just as we remove street vendors operating without permission,” Hanafiah stated during a press conference in Meuligoe Bireuen on Friday evening, 13 March 2026.
Regent Mukhlis Takabeya has since reprimanded the Regional Secretary regarding his comments, which were deemed insensitive to flood victims, particularly those sheltering in tents at the regent’s office. “The Bireuen Government apologises for the Regional Secretary’s inappropriate remarks. The statement was wrong, and the Regent has already reprimanded the Regional Secretary,” stated Muhajir Juli, spokesperson for the Bireuen District Government, in a telephone conversation with Republika on Saturday evening, 14 March 2026.
Muhajir elaborated on the situation between the Regional Secretary and the flood victims sheltering at the regent’s office. He explained that the Regional Secretary’s statement had been taken out of context. According to him, residents from Desa Kapak village had visited the regent’s office and were received by Regent Mukhlis and his entourage. The Regent even visited the tents to discuss matters with the victims.
“They (the evacuees) could no longer bear living in tents and requested more adequate accommodation,” Muhajir said.
As a result, the Regent instructed the Regional Secretary to find suitable temporary housing for the residents until permanent housing could be constructed. “The survivors engaged in dialogue and even shared the dawn meal with the Regent. They also asked when the permanent housing would be completed,” Muhajir recounted.
However, when the Regional Secretary found houses for the seven families to occupy temporarily, they initially agreed to move from the tents at the regent’s office. “But the next morning, the survivors made a video refusing to relocate to the more adequate facility. Their reason was that they considered themselves representatives from the village,” Muhajir said.
The Regional Secretary attempted to collect them, but the victims refused to relocate. “After that, there was no further solution as they declined to move from the tents at the regent’s office,” Muhajir concluded.