Emergency status would starve Aceh refugees
Emergency status would starve Aceh refugees
Edith Hartanto and Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post,
Banda Aceh
Thousands of refugees in Aceh will completely lose access to aid
and food supplies due to blocked lines of transportation if, as
expected, a civilian emergency is imposed in this restive
province.
The refugees, including women and babies, are currently living
in abhorrent conditions and facing water shortages in camps
across the strife-torn area.
"Today, it is extremely difficult to channel aid to these
refugees because of the tight security cordon in and around the
refugee camps. They forbid people to enter the camps with goods
in hand or in packages. We can still manage to send refugees aid
by traveling by sea or by taking shortcuts via the surrounding
forests," said Hermanto, a spokesman for the People's Crisis
Center of Aceh (PCC-Aceh).
PCC-Aceh is a non-governmental organization which monitors and
updates records on the number and conditions of refugees across
17 primary camps in the country's westernmost province.
"But I cannot imagine, how can we send them aid during a
civilian emergency when deployment of security forces in and
around these camps will be sharply increased, as well as in the
forests? Transportation lines will most likely be totally
blocked, due to increased security and curfews."
The central government is due to decide on Aceh's fate on Aug.
5.
"The government could call it a civilian emergency once it is
imposed, but the Acehnese will always see it as a military
emergency, due to the military domination in Aceh," Hermanto
said.
During a decade-long military operation (DOM), in a desperate
attempt to rid the province of separatist rebels in Aceh, which
ended in 1998, 1,025 were killed according to government data,
however rights groups put figure perhaps 10 times higher.
Refugees in Aceh, including transmigrant Javanese, fled their
homes due to continuous clashes between separatist rebels and
security forces, which have resulted in the deaths of at least
600 people this year alone.
Aside from the fact that most of their homes have been burned
down, refugees in these camps suffer from malnutrition, and
diseases ranging from diarrhea, breathing problems and severe
skin diseases, Hermanto said.
Hermanto said that to date, PCC-Aceh workers had to travel by
sea and walk through remote forest trails carrying food and
medical supplies on motorcycles, for the refugees in camps in
East Aceh, North Aceh, Central Aceh, West Aceh and Pidie.
"Officials refuse our entry to the camps over any suspicions
that we are supporting rebel-affiliated refugees (ethnic
Acehnese). Refugees are perceived as friends or even shields for
the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist rebels, who allegedly use
refugee camps as a platform to gain support from either the
Acehnese public or media, both local and international," Hermanto
claimed.
In 1999, when the number of refugees had skyrocketed due to
the rising tensions, leaders of GAM had reportedly used these
camps as a base to conduct interviews with both the international
and local media, or even to make contact with certain refugees.
Around two years ago, Hermanto recalled, refugees living in
the Idi Rayeuk district of East Aceh had to abandon the area due
to a GAM occupation for over 14 hours. The refugees ended up
living, sleeping and eating in boats, floating in the middle of
the Simpang Ulim river.
Another PCC-Aceh activist, Misdawan R.H., said security forces
guarding the camps, mainly in East Aceh and North Aceh, and the
Aceh provincial administration had refused to distribute or give
aid to the refugees, unless they agreed to return to their homes.
The refugees do not comply with the request because aside from
their fragile health condition, their homes had been burned down,
Misdawan added.
PCC-Aceh has noted that refugees hit hard by a water shortage
and inadequate sanitary facilities are located in the Lhok Nibong
camp in the Pante Bidari district, Geulumpang Payong camp in
Sungai Raya district, Kuala Malihan camp in the Simpang Ulim
district, the Kuala Idi camp in the Idi Rayeuk district, Gajah
Meunta camp and Alue Rangan camp in Sungai Raya district, all in
East Aceh.
Edith Hartanto and Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post,
Banda Aceh
Thousands of refugees in Aceh will completely lose access to aid
and food supplies due to blocked lines of transportation if, as
expected, a civilian emergency is imposed in this restive
province.
The refugees, including women and babies, are currently living
in abhorrent conditions and facing water shortages in camps
across the strife-torn area.
"Today, it is extremely difficult to channel aid to these
refugees because of the tight security cordon in and around the
refugee camps. They forbid people to enter the camps with goods
in hand or in packages. We can still manage to send refugees aid
by traveling by sea or by taking shortcuts via the surrounding
forests," said Hermanto, a spokesman for the People's Crisis
Center of Aceh (PCC-Aceh).
PCC-Aceh is a non-governmental organization which monitors and
updates records on the number and conditions of refugees across
17 primary camps in the country's westernmost province.
"But I cannot imagine, how can we send them aid during a
civilian emergency when deployment of security forces in and
around these camps will be sharply increased, as well as in the
forests? Transportation lines will most likely be totally
blocked, due to increased security and curfews."
The central government is due to decide on Aceh's fate on Aug.
5.
"The government could call it a civilian emergency once it is
imposed, but the Acehnese will always see it as a military
emergency, due to the military domination in Aceh," Hermanto
said.
During a decade-long military operation (DOM), in a desperate
attempt to rid the province of separatist rebels in Aceh, which
ended in 1998, 1,025 were killed according to government data,
however rights groups put figure perhaps 10 times higher.
Refugees in Aceh, including transmigrant Javanese, fled their
homes due to continuous clashes between separatist rebels and
security forces, which have resulted in the deaths of at least
600 people this year alone.
Aside from the fact that most of their homes have been burned
down, refugees in these camps suffer from malnutrition, and
diseases ranging from diarrhea, breathing problems and severe
skin diseases, Hermanto said.
Hermanto said that to date, PCC-Aceh workers had to travel by
sea and walk through remote forest trails carrying food and
medical supplies on motorcycles, for the refugees in camps in
East Aceh, North Aceh, Central Aceh, West Aceh and Pidie.
"Officials refuse our entry to the camps over any suspicions
that we are supporting rebel-affiliated refugees (ethnic
Acehnese). Refugees are perceived as friends or even shields for
the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist rebels, who allegedly use
refugee camps as a platform to gain support from either the
Acehnese public or media, both local and international," Hermanto
claimed.
In 1999, when the number of refugees had skyrocketed due to
the rising tensions, leaders of GAM had reportedly used these
camps as a base to conduct interviews with both the international
and local media, or even to make contact with certain refugees.
Around two years ago, Hermanto recalled, refugees living in
the Idi Rayeuk district of East Aceh had to abandon the area due
to a GAM occupation for over 14 hours. The refugees ended up
living, sleeping and eating in boats, floating in the middle of
the Simpang Ulim river.
Another PCC-Aceh activist, Misdawan R.H., said security forces
guarding the camps, mainly in East Aceh and North Aceh, and the
Aceh provincial administration had refused to distribute or give
aid to the refugees, unless they agreed to return to their homes.
The refugees do not comply with the request because aside from
their fragile health condition, their homes had been burned down,
Misdawan added.
PCC-Aceh has noted that refugees hit hard by a water shortage
and inadequate sanitary facilities are located in the Lhok Nibong
camp in the Pante Bidari district, Geulumpang Payong camp in
Sungai Raya district, Kuala Malihan camp in the Simpang Ulim
district, the Kuala Idi camp in the Idi Rayeuk district, Gajah
Meunta camp and Alue Rangan camp in Sungai Raya district, all in
East Aceh.