Rp 12b aid to be paid to refugees

Rp 12b aid to be paid to refugees

AMBON, Maluku: Head of the provincial social affairs agency Ishak Umarella said here on Thursday that the office was to allocate some Rp 12 billion to help about 730 families displaced during three years of sectarian conflict between 1999 and 2002.

He said the aid would be used to buy construction materials, enable them to return to their places of origin and help them cope with daily necessities until the end of December 2003.

"The money, provided by the province's public works office, is intended to help encourage refugee families to return to their homes," Ishak said.

He added that he had formed a task force involving related institutions to enable them to work effectively in handling the refugees' problems. -- Antara