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)