Refugees face straitened days

Refugees face straitened days

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Aceh

Over 10,000 Acehnese people staying in a refugee camp in Bireuen
regency are facing a shortage of clean water as the military
offensive enters its fifth week.

The refugees said on Sunday that the rations were not enough
to sustain them. Most complained about the meager food, the lack
of fresh water and the camp's poor sanitation facilities.
Children are also suffering in the intense heat in the open areas
or inside the crowded tents of the camps.

"Many here don't bathe anymore," said Mustafa Dadih, 58, an
elementary school teacher from Tambo Tan village. "We have
problems washing up in the morning because there isn't enough
water," he added.

Sanitation problems resulting from the lack of clean water are
feared to worsen in the coming days, as water is needed for the
refugees to cook, bathe and wash clothes.

The refugees also complained about the absence of side dishes
with their meals.

"We have enough rice, that's not the problem," said 38-year-
old Abdul Malik, a cook at the refugee camp.

His friend grabbed a handful of the rice from a bucket as
Abdul explained, "the problem here is that there's almost nothing
to eat but rice."

Rice and some noodles or fish is the only food available at
the camp. The meager ration is one of the many harsh changes the
refugees will have to adjust to over the next few days, weeks or
maybe even months. No one knows when they will be able return
home.

Yusri Yusuf, who coordinates the two medical posts at the
camp, said that two doctors and several nurses from the nearby
Fauziah general hospital, the local health office and the health
community center were on call for each eight-hour shift.

He said that so far there had been no serious health problems,
although many of the adults complained about headaches. "It's the
stress, the changes are just too much," Yusri said.

Antara reported, however, that a refugee had died on Sunday of
heart failure. Medical workers had also assisted four women
deliver their babies on the same day.

The mass evacuation came as the military stepped up its
offensive to flush rebels from their hideouts in the forests
surrounding their home villages. For the first time, reports
emerged last Friday that howitzers were used to shell rebel
positions in Bireuen.

Preparations at the Cot Gabu soccer field to accommodate the
refugees began at least 10 days ago, and a few of tents were
already seen standing on the spacious field of dry grass early
this month, while workers could be seen pitching more.

A sea of people from at least 10 villages in Juli district,
Bireuen regency, have sought refuge in a soccer field and another
field across it in the village of Cot Gabu since last Friday.

The Police mobile brigade (Brimob) now occupy the villages,
manning posts along the road at every few meters to ensure that
they remain empty.

The villagers were forced to flee their homes when the
fighting came too close. Aside from bringing the residents to
safety, the military hopes to separate them from GAM separatists,
who easily melt in with the civilians.

The field is located next to the main road connecting Bireuen
with the provincial capital Banda Aceh. Across it stands the
ruins of a school, burned to the ground before the war, and which
now serves as a security post manned by Brimob personnel.

On the battle front, the military said two more rebels were
shot dead in South Aceh and at least 15 others were arrested in
Aceh Besar regency over the past two days.

Spokesman for the military operation Lt. Col. Achmad Yani
Basuki said the two separatists were killed during a clash in Cot
Cut village between GAM members and joint Army and Brimob forces
in Kuta Baro district, Aceh Besar, at around 7 a.m. on Sunday.

As of Sunday, the TNI reported that rebel casualties totaled
204.

Regarding the number of casualties, the Indonesian Red Cross
(PMI) announced on Sunday it had evacuated 178 bodies from
battlefields.

"The death toll is based on reports from a number of PMI
branches and command posts across Aceh," executive chairman of
PMI Aceh Sanusi Maha said in a press release issued on Sunday.

He said PMI was also duty-bound to bring the dead to hospitals
for further identification and to inform their next-of-kin.