PMI calls on city to shelter evictees

PMI calls on city to shelter evictees

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) called on the Jakarta Social Affairs Agency to immediately help hundreds of families evicted from their homes during the recent series of evictions.

PMI chairman Mar'ie Mohammad said on Sunday that the PMI was not an advocacy agency and could not provide assistance to the evictees on an ongoing basis.

Mar'ie requested that the agency provide shelter for 62 evictees from Kali Adem, North Jakarta, who are currently sheltering at the PMI's headquarters.

He had asked the evictees to leave the building voluntarily so as not to disrupt the work of the PMI and the International Red Cross.

"Please, seek shelter from the city administration as it is the administration that has the budget and originally evicted the people," he said.

Mar'ie emphasized that the PMI's duty was to provide emergency assistance like medicine and food for a number of days. He promised the evictees tents, food and medicine if they left the PMI headquarters. -- Antara