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."