RI relief effort in chaos, UN says
RI relief effort in chaos, UN says
Agence France-Presse, Banda Aceh
The multinational relief effort in parts of tsunami-hit Aceh
province remains chaotic, according to an official report
released on Thursday.
"The west coast of Aceh continues to receive aid and
assistance in a chaotic manner," said the report by a 34-member
inter-agency team including the Indonesian government, the U.S.
military, UN agencies and others.
The report cited "the continued absence of a systematic
response to the multiple needs of the population" and said the
provision of health services lacked coordination and information
was fragmented.
Sanitary conditions remained extremely poor in many areas
where internally displaced persons (IDPs) live, with most sites
having no latrines.
"As a result, most IDPs are defecating in fields, open areas
or canals near to their shelters. Some of these are close to
rivers or ponds that are used for bathing and washing," said the
report, given to AFP by the UN's top official in Indonesia, Bo
Asplund.
The report came out just hours after a leading anticorruption
activist Farid Faqih, coordinator of Government Watch, was beaten
on Wednesday by Indonesian soldiers for allegedly stealing aid
material from the tarmac of the Iskandar Muda air base outside of
Banda Aceh. Although Farid, who has strongly criticized the
military and the government for poor coordination in aid
distribution, denied the charges, the Banda Aceh police named him
a suspect on Thursday. According to press reports, Farid, who is
apparently working in partnership with a UN agency, said he was
not stealing the goods, just moving them so they would not get
soaked by the rain.
Elsewhere, the UN report also contained good news on the UN-
led relief effort with cases of malaria, measles and diarrhea
significantly lower than expected and other signs the massive
humanitarian effort was effective.
"Food stocks, though limited in protein and calorie density,
are reaching most large population groups via civil authorities
and the Indonesian military. Schools are ready to reopen in a few
areas and local food has begun to reappear in local markets,"
said the report.
The inter-agency report urged better coordination to protect
"fragile gains" so far achieved in the relief effort in Aceh.
Asplund was more upbeat in his assessment, telling AFP: "The
coordination can always be improved, but I think it's actually
working quite well."
"We've come a very long way from when I was here first," he
said. "We're in early recovery already."
The emergency relief phase was complete in the capital, Banda
Aceh, and the west coast town of Meulaboh, he said, with people
receiving shelter, food, medicine and water.
"But there are many isolated communities, small villages on
the west coast where people are setting up makeshift camps in the
hills and do not have a lot of access to the services that are
provided in Banda Aceh and Meulaboh," Asplund said.
While the US Navy, which flew 34 missions using 11 helicopters
on Wednesday, is preparing to scale down its operations, Asplund
said he was confident others such as the Japanese military would
fill the void.