Mystery man donates to Irian drought victims
Mystery man donates to Irian drought victims
JAKARTA (JP): Santa Claus may be making his Christmas rounds
early this year, as the Indonesian consulate general in Sydney,
Australia, received a surprise package from a mysterious "scruffy
looking" man Monday, containing A$16,000 (US$10,885) in cash for
drought related victims in Irian Jaya.
The man, who only identified himself as Bogdan Tadeusz from
Newcastle, about 170 kilometers north of Sydney, arrived in a
taxi at the consulate Monday and dropped off the package. He
immediately left without an explanation.
Antara quoted a guard at the consulate as saying that the
mysterious philanthropist "looked like a hippie, wearing shabby
clothes with long unkept hair".
The package contained A$16,000 in cash and a message scribbled
on a torn out piece of paper saying the money was a donation for
drought stricken victims in Irian Jaya.
Various regencies in Irian Jaya have been affected by drought
due to the long dry season. More than 600 people, mostly in the
regency of Jayawijaya, have died since August.
Budi Rahardjo, head of information at the consulate, said the
money had been wired to the National Disaster Management
Coordinating Board in Jakarta to channel it to people in Irian
Jaya.
Only a fortnight ago the consulate held a fund raising show
for Irian Jaya.
Irian Jaya's Culture and Fund Raising was held at the Uniting
Church Hall in Strathfield, Sydney on Nov. 28. Some A$2,000 was
collected and will be distributed to those in Irian Jaya through
the Uniting Church.
Shortage
But despite the recent rain, shortages persist.
Antara reported yesterday that people in Central Java's
regency of Boyolali were starting to feel the effects of the
drought with food supplies running short.
Residents have been forced to sell their livestock of goats
and chickens to buy food.
It was reported that many are now eating cassava-made Tiwul
rice.
"Entering the rainy season, we really are suffering a food
shortage," a 55-year-old Kasnin said.
As people in Central Java fear food shortages, residents of
Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, are facing the threat of a clean
water shortage.
The director of the local office of the state-owned water
company PDAM, Djamaluddin, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that
if rain does not come in the next few days residents of
Balikpapan will be out of clean water in 10 days.
He said the rain in the first week of December failed to wet
the area surrounding the Manggar dam where the clean water
reservoir is located. (aan/42)