Hungry victims irate at lack of aid

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Banda Aceh

Crucial food and medical supplies remained far too scarce for the traumatized survivors on Thursday, nearly five days since the earthquake-triggered tidal waves pounded northern Sumatra on Sunday.

Criticism increased to a fever pitch over the government's poor handling of the relief operation thus far.

Supplies were seen piling up at warehouses in Polonia airport in Medan, North Sumatra and Halim Perdanakusuma air base in Jakarta, where the bulk of the aid from donors has been sent.

But the aid is not reaching the famished victims, some of whom are suffering from serious injuries.

"We're confused about where to get the food. There's no information. Just what you hear on the street. The coordination is very bad," one survivor Zulkarnaen was quoted by Reuters as saying on Thursday.

As far as reaching the needy, the food distribution program was considered gravely deficient and some victims said it was a dehumanizing experience.

"Cars just come by and throw food out the window and keep going. The fastest person gets the food. Only the strong survive. The elderly and the injured don't get anything. We feel like dogs," said another refugee, Usman.

Minister of Social Services Bachtiar Chamsyah said in Medan that 100 trucks were heading for Aceh on Thursday, carrying food and medicine.

He explained that a lack of trucks had hampered the aid distribution operation. The government relief mission, he said, remained unable to reach most areas outside of Banda Aceh.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has been dropping food in areas inaccessible by land transportation.

As of Thursday night, the official death toll had risen to 79,940. International aid officials have predicted that the death toll in the province may climb over 100,000, many of whom remain unburied. Thousands more are still considered missing.

The World Health organization estimated between one and three million of those affected by the tsunami in Aceh and North Sumatra were homeless. That number includes around 79,000 people who have sought refuge in the hills of Simeulue island, the closest inhabited area to the epicenter of the 9.0-magnitude quake that generated the huge waves.

Due to the gravity of the humanitarian problems in Aceh, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pushed for a UN-sponsored international conference to discuss relief operations for affected nations.

Susilo said after a Cabinet meeting in Jakarta that his proposal had received support from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and United States President George W. Bush.

Deputy House of Representatives speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno was among those who criticized the government for not doing enough to ensure that the victims get help.

"We strongly urged the President to use all resources at his disposal, including the bulk of the TNI and National Police personnel and volunteers to be sent to Aceh. Do not just hold meetings after meetings," Soetardjo admonished, shortly after arriving in Aceh.

He said that among the most pressing problems currently faced by the tsunami victims was the dead bodies that were still strewn all over the city the acute food shortage.

"The TNI and police are still lacking what they need and they already seem exhausted," he said, adding that the number of aid workers needed for Aceh alone could reach thousands.

National coordinator of Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (Mer-C) Jose Rizal Jurnalis said that the government through the national disaster mitigation operation should do a better job of coordinating the relief work in Aceh.

"Individual relief groups work alone without coordination among themselves. Therefore, we don't know how far the relief operations have progressed and what more needs to be done in what area," he told The Jakarta Post. Jose was in Medan to coordinate relief programs initiated by Mer-C.

Social activist Ratna Sarumpaet said the government had not done enough to help the survivors. "I have information that four days after the tsunami struck, only 60 volunteers from the government had been deployed and corpses were still everywhere," Ratna, who has set up a crisis center told the Post.

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