Doctors, psychologists to aide Sampang refugees

JAKARTA (JP): A team of doctors and psychologists are to leave on Sunday for a week-long mission to Sampang, East Java where more than 60,000 Madurese are sheltering after having fled ethnic clashes in Central Kalimantan.

The members of the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MERC) of Jakarta and Malang, East Java, branches, are to provide refugees with health services as well as trauma-counseling. The team will also take supplies of milk powder and medicine worth Rp 30 million.

Some 1,700 women refugees are expectant mothers.

"The parameter of success for such a mission is if we could reduce the refugees' death rate, but any health program for the refugees would have to be long-term in nature," said team leader Dr Yogi Prabowo. "We will monitor progress every three months through our Malang branch."

The 60,000 refugees in Sampang are part of the approximately 108,000 Madurese settlers who were driven away from the Central Kalimantan towns of Sampit, Kuala Kapuas and Pangkalan Bun by the native Dayaks after explosions of violence which peaked in February. Some 500 Madurese were killed and beheaded by the Dayaks.

A humanitarian team sent out by MERC on Feb. 1, 2001 witnessed and recorded how the decapitated corpses of Madurese were scattered in Sampit. "All Madurese have now left Sampit and taken refuge in Madura," spokesman Suseno said.

The media have reported that, as of last Wednesday, more than 50 children refugees in Sampang have died from malnutrition- related diarrhea and respiratory infections. (swe)