Nunukan remains 'humanitarian emergency'

Nunukan remains 'humanitarian emergency'

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The
Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In contrast to the ebbing media reports and the government
claims of an improving situation of workers camped in Nunukan
island, East Kalimantan, a group of non-governmental
organizations revealed on Tuesday that the situation remained
poor.

The Network of Volunteers for Humanity (JRUK), which has
provided humanitarian aid and medical services for the migrant
workers since July, said that the recent condition in Nunukan was
still categorized as "a state of humanitarian emergency".

They even planned to sue the government for its neglect of the
workers' condition.

In a media conference, volunteer Sri Palupi said the belated
aid was still inadequate, and to make matters worse, it was
unevenly distributed to the thousands of refugees.

"The shelters and the facilities for the migrant workers are
inadequate, while the medical service is far below the standard
of the World Health Organization (WHO) and cannot cover those who
are sheltered in remote areas," she said.

The number of undocumented migrant workers in Nunukan reached
its peak in early August, when Malaysia imposed its tough
immigration law. During that time, around 22,000 people were
squeezed onto the small island which was already packed with
38,000 residents.

Many of those workers and their families, shipped from the
Malaysian state of Sabah, are suffering from respiratory problems
and diarrhea. Many others are suffering from malaria, typhoid
fever and stress, which in several cases caused temporary
paralysis.

These ailments, coupled with the slow handling by the
government, have caused the death of 72 people since May.

Wahyu Susilo from the Consortium for the Defense of Indonesian
Migrant Workers (Kopbumi) added that the Network would send on
Thursday two ambulances and medicine to serve as mobile health
posts to supplement the work of the only health center there.

"The mobile health posts are what the migrant workers need the
most because many of them are not aware that they can get free
health treatment. Even if they are, they have to pay for the
transportation to get to the health centers.

"And we will stay in Nunukan until we see improvement in the
handling of the migrant workers," he said.

The Network comprises 14 non-governmental organizations,
including Kopbumi, Women's Solidarity, Suara Ibu Peduli (The
Voice of Concerned Mothers), the Jakarta Social Institute (ISJ)
and the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI).

The Network was also preparing a citizen's lawsuit against
President Megawati Soekarnoputri for the government's seeming
indifference to the migrant workers' plight.

The case will be presented by six lawyers, including one of
the country's best, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana.

Choirul Anam of YLBHI invited every citizen to join the move
to ensure a thorough monitoring into the legal process.

The Network also suggested the government protect the migrant
workers' rights, both at home and abroad.

Also on Tuesday, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan) criticized the government's lack of coordination
in dealing with the workers.

"The government should improve the coordination among
officials. We should have been able to anticipate the problems
because the Malaysian government had informed us (of the new law)
at least four months in advance," PDI Perjuangan deputy secretary
general Pramono Anung said after the party's weekly meeting.

He further said that the party would consider some sort of
political pressure on the government to insure that more
attention was given to the problems.

PDI Perjuangan's criticism is more like a form of self
criticism because the President and Minister of Manpower Jacob
Nuwa Wea are both party leaders.

During her overseas trip last week, Megawati blasted the
domestic press for its coverage of the workers in Nunukan, saying
that journalists had blown the situation out of proportion.

The party's deputy chairman Roy B.B. Janis said that a lack of
coordination was seen in the distribution of aid and in the
procedures for the workers to obtain proper documents.

He added that there were too many ministers trying to deal
with the issue in different ways, which only made things worse.