Home Affairs Minister Says Disaster Aid for Sumatra Victims Held Up at Customs

Jakarta, VIVA – Indonesian Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has said that aid from the Acehnese diaspora in Malaysia has been held up at customs because it has not yet received clearance for distribution to refugees affected by flooding and landslides.

Tito made the remarks during a meeting with the leadership of the House of Representatives (DPR) at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, 18 February 2026.

“Currently there is aid from the Acehnese diaspora. We know that in Malaysia there are approximately 500,000 Acehnese citizens working there who have family ties. Besides helping their own families with financial assistance, they have also been collecting goods, particularly food supplies,” Tito said.

Tito raised the matter with DPR leaders to seek guidance on the aid shipment. He explained that the goods had been sent but remained stuck in transit.

“The goods are ready and have been shipped from Port Klang in Kuala Lumpur, destined for the port in Lhokseumawe, called Krueng Geukueh Port. But they are currently being held because customs has not yet granted permission for entry,” he said.

Meanwhile, he noted that President Prabowo Subianto had issued a number of directives regarding the aid. The President wanted assurances that no prohibited items were included in the shipment.

“We conveyed to the President at the time that as long as this is not a government-to-government matter, it should be accepted. Government-to-government aid must go through the Foreign Minister. This is not government-to-government — it is from a community of people there who have family connections and who work in Malaysia,” Tito said.

“The President said the aid should be accepted so long as there are no prohibited items, such as narcotics, firearms, and so on,” he concluded.