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.