Humanitarian work lagging in Aceh

Humanitarian work lagging in Aceh

A'an Suryana and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe

Entering the eighth week of the integrated operation to restore
security and order in Aceh, the military offensive has been
proceeding far ahead of the humanitarian operation, with eight
more alleged rebels killed but more than 42,000 people
languishing in worrying conditions in refuge camps in the
resource-rich province.

Spokesman for the military operation Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani
Basuki said in Lhokseumawe that soldiers on Friday killed nine
more rebels in separate clashes in Aceh Jaya, and East and North
Aceh regencies, and seized a number of rifles and homemade bombs.
This brings the military's version of the rebel death toll to 411
since the military operation was launched on May 19.

Besides, the security authorities also claim to have captured
hundreds of suspected rebels, and are "educating" hundreds of
others in various regencies to be "loyal and good Indonesian
citizens".

Brig. Gen. Johny Wainal, chief of the law enforcement
operation in Aceh, said a GAM police official, Marzuki, was shot
dead and an Indonesian Police officer was seriously injured in a
gunfight in Pekan Bada district, early on Friday.

Besides hunting rebels, the police in Aceh have been
interrogating suspected rebels and are now trying to bring to
court those charged with treason under the 1959 state emergency
law.

Around 40,000 soldiers and 10,000 police personnel have been
deployed by the martial law administration to quell the
separatist movement, which has been fighting for the territory's
independence since 1976.

The military offensive was launched following the failure of
the two sides to build peace in accordance with the Cessation of
Hostilities Agreement they signed in Geneva on Dec. 9, 2002.

The humanitarian operation to handle the civilians affected by
the military offensive has been hampered by a lack of
transparency in distributing humanitarian relief to more than
42,000 displaced persons in refuge camps throughout the province.

The government has pledged to handle refugees properly, but
has had little to say so far on how the problems resulting from
the offensive will be solved.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla handed
over 50 ambulances to the martial law administration and gave
assurances that despite certain obstacles the humanitarian
operation would continue to improve the people's well-being.

Kalla along with Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah,
Minister of Regional Resettlement and Infrastructure Soenarno and
Minister of Health Achmad Suyudi was visiting a number of refugee
camps in the province.

More than 14,000 Acehnese people are taking refuge in South
Aceh regency. The remaining 26,000 are spread throughout Bireuen,
Pidie, North, East and West Aceh regencies.

Bachtiar said that the government has allocated Rp 200 billion
to support the refugees in the camps while Soenarno pledged to
construct 2,000 houses for those whose homes had been burned
down. More than 23,500 houses have been burned down over the last
two months.

Director general for elementary and secondary education at the
Ministry of Education Indra Djadi Sidi said that the government
had constructed 22 school buildings during the 2003/2004 academic
year.

More than 500 elementary and high school buildings have been
burned down, and thousands of students have not been able to
complete their 2002/2003 studies because of the war.

The European Commission said that it would question the
Indonesian government about a "disturbing" lack of access to Aceh
province after one of its aid workers was detained there
overnight.

Ulrich Eckle, the European Commission (EC) political
counsellor, said in Jakarta on Friday that Karin Michotte, a
Belgian, was taken into custody soon after she arrived in Aceh on
Tuesday, even though she had an authorization letter from the
social affairs ministry to visit.

AFP quoted Eckle as saying that the restrictions on access
were "quite unprecedented." Some UN aid groups were being obliged
to travel in army trucks which was completely against
humanitarian rules, he said.

He said Michotte had been unable to assess aid needs and
without this it would not be possible to extend aid through the
EC Humanitarian Office. "We can't just load relief goods on army
trucks, we need to be independent."

Eckle said there were indications of humanitarian problems
with many people apparently forced from their homes in conflict
areas into refugee camps.

He said he had heard there was still a lack of water for
washing in the camps and many people with respiratory problems.
"If it goes on there might be a risk of epidemics, quite apart
from the trauma for families."