Government told to disburse foreign aid for refugees

Government told to disburse foreign aid for refugees

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta/Kupang

East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piet A. Tallo asked the central
government on Friday to immediately disburse Japanese aid funds
meant to help the provincial administration deal with the food
shortages affecting East Timorese refugees.

Speaking to journalists after meeting President Megawati
Soekarnoputri at the State Palace, Piet said he had suggested
that Jakarta allow the provincial disaster coordination unit to
manage the foreign aid and carry out the relief program.

The unit, known by its Indonesian acronym of Satkorlak, is the
organization that has been dealing with the refugees and which is
familiar with them.

"Allowing Satkorlak to implement the humanitarian program will
make it easier for us to account to the public as regards fund
usage," Piet remarked.

The governor met the President after attending a coordinating
meeting between the country's governors and home minister Hari
Sabarno.

Piet's statement came after head of the province's social
affairs office Husein Pancratius insisted that the local
administration did not have enough rice to feed the refugees.

Japan has donated Rp 53 billion (US$6 million) in humanitarian
aid for the refugees after the Indonesian government stopped
providing assistance on Dec. 31 last year.

The Japanese funds have been transferred to the government's
bank account in the Harmoni branch office of state bank BNI 46 in
Central Jakarta.

"This foreign aid should be used to handle the current food
shortage among the refugees," the governor said.

A series of rallies have been staged by the refugees over the
past few weeks demanding the disbursement of the foreign aid as
the threat of starvation was looming.

The House of Representatives has responded positively to the
demonstrations. In a letter sent on Wednesday, House Commission
VII for people's welfare chairman Posma Lumban Tobing asked the
Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah to visit the camps
to verify the reports of food shortages.

"Given the importance of the issue, the commission requests an
explanation from the Minister of Social Affairs and suggests that
he send a team to check on the situation in the field. We would
also like a copy of the team's report," the letter said.

There are up to 50,000 East Timorese left languishing in camps
across East Nusa Tenggara. All the refugee camps will be closed
down on Dec. 31 of this year.

Jakarta has set an Aug. 31 deadline for the refugees to choose
between repatriation or resettlement as Indonesian citizens.

Piet said some 1,000 refugees would be repatriated next week
as part of the ongoing efforts to reduce the number of the
displaced persons.

"We are also encouraging people to make their decisions
quickly before we shut down the camps," Piet said.