Refugees' fee stolen

Refugees' fee stolen

TUAL, Maluku (JP): Humanitarian activists slammed on Saturday
the Social Welfare Agency in Southeast Maluku for allegedly
swindling approximately Rp 698 million (US$73,500) in meal
allowances which were supposed to have been distributed to
refugees in the strife-torn regency.

The embezzlement allegedly involved 77 members of the agency's
'Food Task Force', who were also accused of stealing 279.5 tons
of rice intended for the refugees, chairman of Karya Kasih non-
governmental organization (NGO) Butje Kashiu said as quoted by
Antara.

Butje said that the members of the task force had cut the meal
allowance by Rp 5,000 for each refugee.

The organization's findings and probes conducted by other NGOs
which checked up on the refugees in Kei Kecil and Kei Besar
districts showed that each person was only receiving Rp 40,000
per month instead of the official Rp 45,000 per month, and that
each person only received 10 kilograms of rice instead of 12
kilograms," he said.

He also alleged that the agency had manipulated refugee data.

"There were only 201 refugee families, or a total of 1,015
refugees, in Southeast Maluku regency last month but the agency
said that up to January there were some 59,000 refugees," he
said, adding that the rice supplies were most likely sold by the
officials to local vendors.

The NGO further urged the government to be more careful in
distributing relief and food aid to avoid possible malfeasance.
(edt/49)