Govt disburses resettlement fund

Govt disburses resettlement fund

JAKARTA: Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah said on
Wednesday that the government had disbursed resettlement funds
for 4,300 Acehnese refugee families in North Sumatra, out of a
total of 12,000 families.

"The funds have already been delivered to the North Sumatra
administration, which will distribute the money to 4,300 refugee
families after verifying their eligibility," he said.

The government halted the disbursements in December following
a report on the embezzlement of Rp 2.6 billion (US$289,000) out
of total funds worth Rp 105 billion. The alleged corruptors
reportedly listed as recipients refugees eligible for
resettlement funds of Rp 8.75 million per family.

Bachtiar said 24 alleged corruptors had been questioned by
local police. "Most of them are non-governmental organization
activists, and some are local officials," he said.

North Sumatra police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Amrin Karim said
that Syamsul Bahri, head of the social agency in Binjai, North
Sumatra, and two local journalists were among the suspects.

Hundreds of refugees have protested the slow disbursement of
funds and 48 have staged a hunger strike for almost two weeks.
One refugee, Sakino, died of malnutrition on Saturday, although
he was not on the hunger strike. -- JP