[list_indonesia] [ppiindia] Tsunami Victims Fear Foreigners' Exit
- From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
- Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:24:30 +0100
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TSUNAMI_FOREIGN_AID?SITE=3DCAWOO&SEC=
TION=3DHOME&TEMPLATE=3DDEFAULT
Mar 16, 1:42 AM EST
Tsunami Victims Fear Foreigners' Exit=20
By MICHAEL CASEY
Associated Press Writer
MULIA, Indonesia (AP) -- When Sofyan Mahdi needed crushed cars removed from=
his tsunami-devastated neighborhood last month, he called the United Natio=
ns, which quickly took care of the problem. By contrast, it took 10 trips t=
o Indonesia's state utility to get electricity, and he is still waiting for=
local officials to fix the water system.
The slow and often inconsistent response of the local government is nothing=
new in the province of Aceh. But with the government planning to scale bac=
k the role of foreigners by March 26, the 40-year-old teacher worries he an=
d his family will be left to fend for themselves.
"This neighborhood will recover, but only with the help of foreigners," sai=
d Mahdi, walking past demolished homes and yards still awash with sea water=
three months after the Dec. 26 tsunami. "If we are forced to depend on our=
own government, it could take years."
Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab announced last week that the government plans =
to limit the number of foreign aid groups and require those not affiliated =
with donor countries or the United Nations to reregister with authorities.
The European Union has called on Jakarta to let all groups remain in the pr=
ovince.
But the military and some nationalist politicians fear that foreigners - wh=
o were largely banned from Aceh before the tsunami - could increase interna=
tional awareness and sympathy for the region's separatist movement.
Rebels have been fighting since 1976 for independence for the province on S=
umatra island's northern tip. More than 13,000 have been killed in the conf=
lict and both sides have been accused of rights abuses.
Aid groups have largely remained silent about the new policy, which is expe=
cted to hit small charities hardest, partly over concerns that that protest=
could attract unwanted attention from authorities.
Indonesia's Aceh province was hardest hit by the tsunami, with more than 12=
6,000 people killed and more than 90,000 missing and presumed dead. A major=
ity of villages along the northwest coast were wiped out and many neighborh=
oods in the provincial capital Banda Aceh were reduced to rubble.
Local governments in Indonesia were paralyzed by the disaster, with hundred=
s of offices damaged or destroyed and at least 10,000 of the nearly 50,000 =
employees either dead, missing or left homeless, according to the World Ban=
k. Hospitals and health clinics have faced shortages of doctors, nurses and=
medicine.
The scale of the disaster and the limits of local authorities prompted the =
government to welcome foreign troops and foreign aid groups. Together with =
the Indonesian army, they were credited with averting a humanitarian crisis=
.
The problem, activists and diplomats say, is that the government is not equ=
ipped to rebuild the province without significant foreign support. Acehnese=
government agencies are among the most corrupt in Indonesia - the provinci=
al government is on trial for graft - and most have not begun to recover fr=
om the disaster.
"There are no plans from the government, and there is no guidance despite t=
heir promises to do something," said Azwar Hasan, an Acehnese activist work=
ing with local governments.
Without a strong foreign presence, activists say the government could pocke=
t much of the billions of dollars in aid money or force unpopular, poorly p=
lanned policies on the Acehnese.
Shihab, who has overseen the government's relief operation, insisted that d=
espite the new policy a strong foreign presence would be welcome in the mon=
ths to come.
"We can understand the complaints," he said. "We have learned lessons that =
we have to be more patient and get a full understanding of the situation of=
our brothers and sisters in Aceh who suffered from this disaster. We have =
to listen to them."
=A9 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not b=
e published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Pr=
ivacy Policy.
Purchase this AP story for reprint.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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