Psychologists oppose plans to return refugees

Psychologists oppose plans to return refugees

JAKARTA (JP): Psychologists meeting at the University of
Indonesia's crisis center on Thursday argued against the
premature return of tens of thousands of Madurese refugees to
Central Kalimantan, warning that it could spur "a bigger killing
spree."

"We have to be realistic here. It is impossible for those
refugees to be repatriated in such a short time. The severe
psychological impact will be unbearable," Sarlito Wirawan
Sarwono, the university's professor of psychology, told
journalists.

"Moving them (the Madurese) back to Sampit or Palangkaraya is
the same as committing suicide. Do we want them to die?" he
asserted.

Sarlito was referring to public remarks made by community and
public figures that the Madurese refugees should be returned to
Central Kalimantan, where they resided prior to the recent ethnic
violence.

There will not be enough soldiers available to adequately
control the area, separating the Madurese from the Dayaks in
Sampit and Palangkaraya, Sarlito said.

"Tension is still high and it is important to remember that
those refugees are not simply objects that can be moved around at
anytime. It will take years for them to get over the trauma and
get their lives back in order," he said.

Troop deployment in the disputed area must be concentrated to
restore law and order, he said.

He further argued that in handling emergency evacuations there
are four basic issues that must be addressed: the first is
immediate rescue and relief to avoid loss of life; the second is
food aid; the third is to provide counseling to those who have
suffered from traumatic-stress disorders; and the final issue
involves creating jobs and educational opportunities along with
resettlement.

Sarlito noted that it would be difficult for the security
forces to intervene in such a situation where they are often
placed in a dilemma between saving refugees and having to act
harshly against locals who may attack.

The group also regretted statements which have only aggravated
the situation.

"Members of the (political) elite should watch what they are
saying because their statements can rapidly worsen the situation
and trigger more conflict."

"What happened in Sampit and Palangkaraya were local cases and
actually had nothing to do with ethnicity. The Madurese live in
all parts of the country, so why do they only have disputes in
those two areas?"

"In Aceh, the disputes are between locals and Javanese migrant
settlers," Sarlito said.

"It is a local dispute and must be solved locally. Lets not
simply leave this situation to the central government and expect
them to solve it...as it just means that we'll be accommodating
the past regime's centralistic system," he argued.

He also urged politicians not to twist the issue by making it
a political commodity, including demanding President Abdurrahman
Wahid to resign.

"Even if Megawati Soekarnoputri becomes president, she won't
be able solve this situation instantly," Sarlito said.

Crisis Center Chairman Acuk Supardi lamented that so far,
there have been no comprehensive studies and very few pieces of
literature available on ethic conflicts in Indonesia.

"Back then studies on ethnicity and religion were banned. Now
we must find out the various characteristics of the people and
begin to learn living together as a nation," he said.(edt)