Govt to disburse resettlement funds

Govt to disburse resettlement funds

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

The central government has promised to immediately disburse the
remaining resettlement funds for over 4,350 migrant families who
fled conflict-torn Aceh to North Sumatra.

Spokesman for the North Sumatra administration Eddy Syofian
announced that Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah had
called Governor T. Rizal Nurdin concerning the planned
disbursement of the funds, which had been suspended following
alleged embezzlement of some of the total fund.

"The remaining funds will be transferred as soon as possible,"
Eddy quoted Rizal as saying on the sidelines of the governor's
presentation of his accountability speech before the provincial
legislature.

Bachtiar, however, did not set a specific date for the
transfer of the funds, which amount to Rp 38.2 billion (US$4.3
million). Each family is entitled to Rp 8.75 million under the
government humanitarian aid program.

Around 600 of the disgruntled families have been camping out
on the compounds of the legislature and the gubernatorial office
over the past two weeks to demand the disbursement of the funds.

In a bid to mount pressure on the government, hundreds of
protesters blocked access to Polonia Airport and tried to force
their way onto an airplane destined for Jakarta to meet with
Bachtiar on Wednesday. The human roadblock lasted about six hours
before police dispersed the protesters.

On Thursday, 500 refugees rallied at the legislature to air
their demands, with 48 of them going on a hunger strike. Fourteen
on the strike are women.

The rally did not disrupt the plenary session to hear Rizal's
accountability speech, however.

A refugee assigned to monitor the strike, Renold Ginting, said
the move was a final attempt to force the government to heed
their demands.

"We are on a hunger strike at our own freewill. We have not
manipulated this move," Renold, who hails from Medan, said.

The hunger strikers come from all Aceh regencies, with Mijem
being the oldest at 77 years old and Sugianto the youngest at 24.

Mijem, a women demonstrator, said she could endure the hunger
strike for three days.

"For the sake of our struggle, I will join the strike until
the government complies with our demand," she said.

A fellow protester, Erna, 32, of Central Java, said she had
joined the strike as she was frustrated by the government's
indecisiveness.

"We are fed up with trying to claim our right to the
resettlement funds. Both the central and provincial governments
have apparently washed their hands of this matter," said Erna,
who has been staying in the North Sumatra regency of Langkat for
two years since leaving Aceh.

She said she would use the government aid to pay her debts and
run a business.

Provincial administration spokesman Eddy said the social
affairs minister had insisted that the police thoroughly
investigate the alleged embezzlement of the funds prior to
disbursement.

The minister, Eddy said, asked the police to announce all the
suspects in the case.

Police have named 16 suspects in the Rp 2 billion scandal,
including the head of North Sumatra's Binjai social affairs
agency, Syamsul Bahri.

The provincial government has handed over funds for 7,643
families.