Refugees flee devastation to uncertainty in Medan

Dedy Ardiansyah, The Jakarta Post/Medan

Thousands of residents of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, whose homes and belongings were swept away by Sunday's catastrophe, have begun fleeing to Medan, North Sumatra.

Polonia Air Force base in Medan received on Tuesday the first airlift of refugees, including the injured, aboard a Hercules aircraft from the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh.

Refugees continued on Wednesday to pour into Medan and other towns in the neighboring province of North Sumatra.

At least 400 refugees were airlifted on Tuesday in five trips on an Air Force plane, with the first flight arriving at 11 a.m. and the last at 5 p.m. Most of the refugees were Chinese- Indonesian adults and children from Banda Aceh, the area hit hardest by tidal waves.

On their arrival, the refugees gathered at the base's canteen. Many said they did not know where to go or live in North Sumatra, as they had no relatives there.

Officials of the Aceh-North Sumatra natural disaster relief agency said they had not prepared for the refugees' arrival because they had not been notified of it.

North Sumatra social welfare office head Sylvester Lasse looked startled when he was informed about the arrival of the tsunami victims.

"Are there refugees? No one had coordinated with me. Let me check first," he said.

Sylvester found that the relief agency had not accommodated the refugees because they had been picked up by their relatives in Medan.

He added that the victims to arrive first could not be categorized as "refugees" -- displaced people who needed much financial and material assistance -- because they were mostly from the upper-middle income bracket.

"We offered to provide assistance, but they prefer to stay with their relatives," he said.

Relief agency spokesman Eddy Sofyan concurred with Sylvester, saying: "We will prioritize those who badly need emergency assistance."

Meanwhile, at least two of the 49 injured victims aboard the Hercules died on Tuesday en route to Medan from not receiving immediate medical attention.

The two dead are: Amiko, 62, a resident of Mulia village, Banda Aceh; and an identified military officer.

Most of the injured refugees were relatives and personnel of the Police Mobile Brigade unit in Jeulingke, Banda Aceh.

Many had cuts on their faces and limbs, cardiovascular problems and eye infections.

North Sumatra health office head Fatni Sulani said the injured victims were rushed to the Adam Malik, Pirngadi and Brimob hospitals upon their arrival in Medan.