ICRC to help Aceh victims

ICRC to help Aceh victims

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: The International Committee for the Red
Cross (ICRC) plans to send relief aid to Aceh in the near future
for the families of victims of atrocities occurring over a decade
of military operations in the province, a spokesman has said.

The aid would consist of basic foodstuffs, agricultural
equipment, sewing machines and books, said Soesanto, the
secretary-general of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), on Thursday.

Soesanto was quoted by Antara as saying after accompanying
ICRI representatives to meet PMI's Aceh chapter here that the
plan was proof that the ICRC cared deeply for the fate of the
suffering Acehnese families.

The closed-door meeting was attended by ICRC head for
Southeast Asia Tony Pfanner, Red Cross Federation and Red
Crescent Jakarta representative Herman and Aceh Vice Governor
Zainuddin AG, who is also the head of PMI's Aceh branch.

The ICRC aid, Soesanto said, would be distributed to the
families of victims of the military operations in the districts
of East Aceh, North Aceh and Pidie.

Aid will also be given to Acehnese workers who had been
deported from Malaysia last August for illegally working in the
country.

Soesanto said the ICRC would distribute the aid through its
own channels and through local PMI volunteers in the North Aceh
town of Lhokseumawe.

Vice Governor Zainuddin AG said he welcomed ICRC's commitment
to provide humanitarian aid because it would help alleviate the
suffering of the victims' families made worse by the economic
crisis.

The military operations carried out from 1989 to August 1998
are believed to have caused 20,000 children to lose their fathers
and to widow 3,000 housewives.