Tuesday, January 18, 2005

SEGERA Aceh Relief and Monitoring Campaign news update -- Jakarta - January 15, 2005

[The following report was compiled by Zelly A. from information sent by SEGERA (Solidarity Movement with the People of Aceh) activist volunteers currently deployed in Aceh to provide humanitarian relief and monitor the distribution of aid. See below for details on how you can assist SEGERA's Aceh Relief and Monitoring Campaign.]

- Major-General Bambang Darmono, the officer in charge of coordinating relief in Aceh, and the Minister of Welfare Alwi Sihab said yesterday that the zones which foreigners free to enter are Greater Aceh, West Aceh-Meulaboh and the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. For other areas all foreigners or non-government civilian organisations wishing to enter must do so with the authorisation of the local civil emergency authority. The decision was issued on the grounds of "freedom for humanitarian access". The "isolation" of these areas is being maintained on the grounds that they are conflict zones. The fact is however, that refugees are not just spread across Meulaboh and Banda Aceh but also in areas such as Bireuen, Pidie and Lhokseumawe.
- In the field meanwhile, access to regions outside of Banda Aceh has indeed been difficult from the start. Particularly in areas which the government has declared as conflict zones. In Bireuen for example, refugees from Banda Aceh and Meulaboh who are spread among a number of villages are being accommodated in people's homes which has added to the logistical access problems because they are not living in refugee camps. According to a human rights group report in the Peusangan regency of Bireuen, their investigations into refugee families of this type have been severely hampered by local security forces. This has even gone as far as them being taken as Free Aceh Movement (GAM) infiltrators and were detained for two nights by the Juli local police. In practice refugees living in the various villages in Juli have received no aid for almost 15 days. The majority of the refugees are housewives, young children and babies totaling as many as 214 families.
- Assistance from the government, international non-government organisations and the United Nations is being concentrated in the refugee camps. Meanwhile the majority of the refugees are in fact in the villages being accommodated by local people. One family is able to accommodate up to three other families. As a result the impact of the disaster at this time is spilling over into another social crisis related to employment opportunities and the unavailability of food. In practice the families who are accommodating them cannot survive much longer because there is no aid. Moreover this has been added to by the policy of Vice-president Yusuf Kalla to centralise the refugee camps on only 24 points. The government refuse to acknowledge the existence of refugees living outside of these.
The reality is that people's psychological makeup is such that they really do not want to live in camps. There are three basic reasons for this: strong family traditions which make them prioritise seeking refuge with relatives remaining in the vicinity or even the family of the regent; the way refugees in the camps are being handled which is of great concern as standardised supplies are allocated to each refugee, from babies, nursing mothers, pregnant women, infants and small children. Likewise, during the first weeks even mediation was standardised - because of the minimal health facilities; and this has added to the trauma and made refugees not feel at home living in the camps. Even if they do remain in the camps the numbers fluctuate because during the day they are out searching for missing family members and although some return to the camps at night to receive supplies this is not always certain night as they know their allocation by already be gone by the time they return.
- The extraordinary effect of this disaster has left behind it an equally extraordinary trauma. Social empowerment has declined dramatically. Self-confidence, solidarity and trust in others has also declined dramatically. Moreover the government and all of its structures are clearly incapable of dealing with this disaster in an organised let alone speedy manner. This situation provides a clear basis to prioritise the long-term need for support from volunteers to work with communities both in the camps as well as the villages. And these kind of volunteers are difficult to find with the majority at this time being still being drawn from outside of Aceh.
- In giving consideration to the points above, the activists in Aceh from various sectors, the majority of whom have lost their homes or searching for relatives and families, have formed the Central Aid in Resolving Aceh (Care Aceh) and are optimalising other institutions such as SeFa (Safe for Aceh) which has been in Aceh working with refugees and dealing with the trauma of loss since the state of martial law was declared in May 2003 and during the periods of civil emergency. Among the respective organisations at the moment there are between 40-60 volunteers but this will increase as the situation stabilises, that is when the search for families has been maximised and the recruitment of local volunteers has improved.
The following work has been and is currently being carried out in Banda Aceh and Greater Aceh:
1. Assessing the total number and classifying the priorities of refugees in the villages who are being accommodated by local people, including their most urgent needs. This is being conducted in the Berabung village in the Darussalam regency, the Lambaet and Lamteube Gapula villages in the Kuta Baro regency, the Neuheun village in the SMIK area and the Ujong Bate kampung in the Mesjid Raya regency and the Geuce Komplek village in Aneuk Galong Sibreh. These villages are scattered across Banda Aceh and Greater Aceh and will be broadened as points of priority are determined.
2. Dropping of the most basic relief supplies has been done at a number of refugee points, a free clinics have been built in the areas of Lam Ateuk, Lampeuneureut and Indrapuri, including an alternative education and trauma healing pilot project.
3. Investigating the long-term needs of respective villages, such as establishing alternative education for children, places for them to play, women's activities. This is being done in the context of trauma healing and will be adjusted on the basis of follow up investigations.
Situation update:
- The greatest obstacle at the moment is work mobilisation. Accommodation, communication and transport to conduct investigations and dropping off aid supplies - the availability of large pickup trucks, motorcycles and bicycles is extremely limited and needs to be augmented by medical equipment and supplies. Medical expertise is simply not sufficient at present.
- The long-term need to also establish an alternative information media - both a radio and newspaper for the people - is also extremely great, especially to provide information which can assist in rebuilding people's self-confidence and the enthusiasm to empower local communities.
- There are a number of flooded areas which were not initially effected by the tsunami however the number of casualties in these areas is now climbing particularly in the Sawang regency of North Aceh and Tamiang Kualasimpang in East Aceh where flood waters are as high as 1.5 metres.
[Translated by James Balowski for Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific's (ASAP) Aceh Tsunami Blog Solidarity Fund for Aceh. To keep up-to-date with the SEGERA campaign visit www.acehsolidarity.blogspot.com.]
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SEGERA Aceh Relief and Monitoring Campaign - How you can help
It costs at least $27 dollars to transfer money to the SEGERA nominated bank account in Jakarta, Indonesia. So with the agreement of SEGERA, ASAP is accepting donations for the SEGERA Aceh Relief and Monitoring Campaign into the Peoples Power Fighting Fund account. Donations will be pooled and sent to SEGERA on a regular basis.
Account details:
Name: Peoples Power Fighting Fund
Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia
BSB: 062 026
Account No: 1006 0743
Please email us at <max_lane@bigpond.com> if you make donations so we can make sure SEGERA gets information on who is helping.

Thursday, January 13, 2005

FPDRA welcomes government's offer for peace agreement with GAM

I N D O L E F T - News service

Statement by FPDRA - January 12, 2005

The desire by the government of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to create an opportunity for a peace agreement and end the armed conflict with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) should be welcomed all elements of society. This positive signal should also be welcomed by GAM.


In a situation in Aceh post the tsunami disaster the offer made by the president it very timely although in truth late if compared with the offer made by the Sri Lankan government to the Tamil Tiger rebels. The offer does however provide a positive signal for improvements in the channeling of humanitarian aid as well as its efforts to rebuild Aceh.


In this regard we are of the view that neither the government or GAM should assert political preconditions on the peace agreement but instead focus on the facilitation of humanitarian aid, recovery and rebuilding Aceh. This is order that the agreement is not overshadowed beforehand by the political obsessions of the two parties - either GAM's obsession with independence or the government's obsession with special autonomy. With regard to aid, the two parties must therefore agree to a cease-fire for an unlimited period of time. A precondition for such a cease-fire to occur and to facilitate the flow of domestic and international aid is to halt all military operation in Aceh (regardless of its form and status).


Historically, peace agreements have invariably failed mid-way because there has been no involvement of other forces outside of the government and GAM. In a future agreement it is absolutely imperative that the government involve all existing political spectrums including students, political organisations, civil society, religious leaders and other public figures. As well as the involvement of these elements, international involvement is also needed in the form of the United Nations. The involvement of the UN is extremely beneficial and necessary in all peace negotiations, especially under the present conditions in Aceh. This can be seen from past negotiations which failed because there was no neutral foreign party which had the authority to act against the parties which violated the agreement. This is even more so in view of the post disaster situation in Aceh at the moment. Foreign involvement is absolutely necessary bearing in mind the rebuilding of Aceh which needs assistance from a number of parties, particularly international organisations. Thus the presence of the UN will be extremely important to monitor the rebuilding of Aceh as well as monitoring the development of the peace agreement.


The desire of both parties to discuss their political obsessions should be first put aside bearing in mind the psychological condition of the Acehnese people who are yet to recover from or are still experiencing the trauma of this horrific disaster. So trauma recovery, rebuilding infrastructure and the destroyed Acehnese people's economy must be the first priority of this peace agreement.


In addition to this, in order to broaden the peace agreement with GAM as envisioned by the government, it must also first be preceded with a shift in the military operation in Aceh to a humanitarian operation by no longer carrying arms during operations, because carrying arms only adds to the trauma and fear of the Acehnese people. Military involvement in Aceh should be limited to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief or a civil mission. Furthermore the government must also release all GAM political prisoners as a way to initiate the peace agreement.


The Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA) therefore calls for the following:


1. We urge GAM to respond openly and welcome the offer for a peace agreement which has been made by the Indonesian government;

2. The peace agreement must be proceeded by a cease-fire by both parties and a shift in the function of the Indonesian armed forces in Aceh to one of humanitarian assistance or a civil mission;

3. We urge both parties to involve all political spectrums which exist in Aceh in negations including students, political organisations, religious leaders and other public figures;

3. We urge both parties to ensure foreign involvement in the negotiations, especially the UN, as a neutral party which has the authority to act against either party if they violate the peace agreement;

5. As referred to above, all elements which are involve in negotiations must have the authority, post negotiations, to rebuild Aceh together for an unlimited period of time both politically or in terms of rehabilitation.


In making this joint statement, our hope is for a single will to rebuild a just and democratic society in Aceh.


Banda Aceh
January 12, 2005
Central Organisational Committee of the Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (Front Perlawanan Demokratik Rakyat Aceh, FPDRA)
Thamrin Ananda
Chairperson
[Translated by James Balowski.]

*
The INDOLEFT news service is produced by the Indonesian
Centre for Reform and Social Emancipation (INCREASE) and
Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific.
INDOLEFT News Service
Jl. Tebet Timur Dalam VIII No. 6A
Jakarta Selatan 12820
Indonesia
Phone: 6221 830 7235
E-mail: jamesbalowski@yahoo.com



SEGERA ACEH CAMPAIGN APPEAL UPDATE

Just on AUD$7,000 has been raised since the last week of December for the SEGERA Aceh campaign. This has comprised donations from organisations, many individual donations, money collected on the street (especially in Darwin), and money collected by workers at their workplaces, including bar workers in Newtown donating their tips.

While millions flow into the big aid agencies, the Acehnese activists on the ground working in remote regiosn as well as the larger towns are starved of resources and funds. They organising work to find missinbg families, organise evacuations, monitor aid distribution and support communities fighting for aid as well as distributing aid collected as donations from those Indonesians and Acehnese outside the tsunami affected region,
New bank account details for donations to the SEGERA activists in Aceh.

TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH SEGERA CAMPAIGN CHECK: www.acehsolidarity.blogspot.com

NEW BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS FOR DODNATIONS WITHIN AUSTRALIA

It costs at least $27 dollars to transfer money to the SEGERA nominated bank account in Jakarta, Indonesia. So with the agreement of SEGERA, ASAP is accepting donations for the SEGERA ACEH Relief and Monitoring Campaign into the PEOPLES POWER FIGHTING FUND account. Donations will be pooled and sent to SEGERA on a regular basis.

Account details

Name: Peoples Power Fighting Fund
Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia
BSB: 062 026 ACCOUNT NO: 1006 0743

PLEASE EMAIL AS IF YOU MAKE DONATIONS SO WE CAN MAKE SURE SEGERA GETS INFORMATION WHO IS HELPING.

TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH SEGERA CAMPAIGN CHECK: www.acehsolidarity.blogspot.com


Monday, January 10, 2005

PRD Statement

Central Leadership Committee – Peoples Democratic Party
(KPP-PRD)
Jl. Tebet Barat Dalam VIII L No. 2 , Jakarta Selatan – 12820
Telp.021-8309061, e-mail : kppprd@yahoo.com website: www.prd-online.or.id
No : D/KPP-PRD/X/05/001
Matter : Statement
NON- COMBAT MILITARY OPERATIONS IN ACEH ARE NOT AN ANSWER, URGENTLY CREATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR POOR COUNTRIES

Regarding Human Rights Violations in Aceh during the Military and Civil Emergency
The real reason why the imperialist government does not pay attention to the human rights violations in Aceh is due to the importance of international capital, such as Exxon-Mobil International, which has a symbiotic relationship with military control and civil bureaucrats in Aceh.
This mutual symbiosis between the interests of international capital and the Indonesian oligarchy and military, is a trigger which has also determined the nature of the resistance of the people of Aceh. It is necessary to add that neo-liberal economic policies, which are forcibly imposed by imperialist governments upon the third world via monetary institutions such as the IMF and World Bank, accommodate the interests of big business (transnational).
Aceh’s natural resources, primarily natural gas and oil, are not devoted towards improving the productivity and living standards of the people of Aceh. During the 1980s Aceh produced 30% of Indonesia’s gas and oil exports, which increased in 2000 to 50%. During the 1990s Indonesia became the worlds biggest exporter of gas, contributing 40% of the world’s LNG. Up until the beginning of the 1990s the Arun gas field in Aceh constituted the biggest LNG reserve in the world. With the scarcity of natural gas reserves in Indonesia and the central position Aceh holds in terms of its production, the province holds great importance for the central government in Indonesia. The benefits flow to the political elite in Banda Aceh, the political elite in the central government, and transnational corporations.
However, the Indonesian government, whose character has been formed since the government of Suharto (the New Order), is an elitist government with ‘trickle down effect’ economic policies. This has meant that Aceh’s rich natural resources have not been used to contribute towards increasing the productivity of the Acehnese people (ie. building of schools, health facilities, and technology transfer) or the modernization of other forms of infrastructure. Even though Aceh is rich in natural resources, it is included amongst the 10 provinces with the highest number of rural poor. In 1993, more than 40% of 5,643 villages in Aceh constituted poor villages. Aceh has the poorest population of all the provinces in Sumatra.
All of this is further exacerbated by the neo-liberal policies enacted by the Indonesian government, in the form of the removal of subsidies for basic goods (oil, gas, electricity, education, health) as well as the privatization of publicly owned businesses and the payment of foreign debt. Several weeks before the tsunami wave, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Yusuf Kalla, who rose to power by rhetorically championing the ‘image of the people’, hurt the people of Indonesia Aceh by increasing the cost of several types of oil and gas fuels which are consumed primarily by Indonesian households. In regards to the paying of foreign debt, the total APBN expenditure for 2004 was 374,3 trillion rupiah (which was set before June 2004), 156 trillion of which was used to pay for primary installments as well as the interest on foreign debt, including the repayment of government obligations. This amount consumed 41.69% of the national budget. Meanwhile the budget allocated to the people, such as for education, was only 15.249 trillion or 4.07% of the total national expenditure (budget portions must be divided with culture, youth and sport). This is also the case with the budget for social welfare, health and the empowerment of women which was far lower still, that is 7.105 trillion (1.8%).

Aceh: Disaster without End

The earthquake disaster which was followed by the tsunami waves on 26 December 2004 dramatically escalated the suffering of the people of Aceh. The disaster, which has taken more than 94,000 lives, has increased the total number of Acehnese who have become victims during the military oppression of the New Order and under the Military-Civil Emergency. The destruction of buildings and other physical infrastructure has effectively doubled the destruction and killing that has been ongoing throughout more than three decades of military control.
For the overwhelming number of victims of this disaster there was no protective infrastructure- i.e., beach vegetation (mangrove forests). What’s more there was no warning given to the population to relocate if they were unable to build protection (because from geological data it is evident that the region is vulnerable to tsunami, in fact several scientists have already warned in 2002 that there would be tsunami). This is evidence that what really occurred was a delay due to the fact that Aceh has been closed and under military control.
The position of the Indonesian government, which politically still maintains a state of Civil Emergency in the midst of this disaster, is arrogant and is resulting in even more victims. What’s more is the even greater arrogance of the TNI in viewing the situation. Widodo and Endang Suwarya- the heads of the military emergency in Aceh before the Civil Emergency, clearly stated that humanitarian relief efforts and security operations should receive equal attention, whereas SBY had already said that humanitarian relief efforts would be foremost, and requested that GAM help in the process of post-earthquake evacuation and rehabilitation. Also the handling of relief efforts has been embarrassing, far below standard. We can see clearly that there is no unified command to handle this national disaster.
Alwi Sihab has already disclosed the attitude and "work already done" under his command in handling the emergency, however his response increasingly reveals the shoddy management of the national government in handling a disaster. Information has been released sporadically, not in an organized and systematic manner. What should have been done after the tragedy was that the President immediately formed some type of Disaster Relief Command for Aceh-North Sumatra (under whatever name), that is a centralized command which coordinated all the relief efforts. Complete with staff advisors at the national level. For example, it would begin with aerial portraits immediately after the disaster, then the establishment of posts to achieve set targets. This would have helped avoid the pile up of aid, such as has occurred in Banda Aceh, Medan and Halim. The next task would be the provision of information. For example at Halim, all the necessary information required by officials, volunteers, the press and the public could be made available. The series of tasks to be systematically carried out would then be: initial assistance, the establishment of hospitals, the burial and cremation of corpses, sanitation, and preventative measures against infectious diseases.
Reserves consisting of volunteers could be formed into units. Registration, documentation, assistance for people, for roads and housing, communications between posts and regions, could all be carried out. Thailand was able to take photos of the deceased before they were buried, and the government here should also be able to rapidly do all of the above tasks. With proper controls and supervision the communications system would not be mutually recriminate. If the President is the commander and the chief of staff is the Minister for Social welfare, all the commanders and ministers can then quickly allocate their people within the Disaster Management Operation. It is not possible to involve all staff and ministries if you don’t want chaos or inaction.
The situations as it stands now: organization of this type is non existent. At the very least the public should be informed so that they know where they should get in contact. It is wrong to assume that if the Minister for Social Welfare and the Army’s Chief of Staff has been designated as responsible that everything will operate smoothly. It is not possible that things will run efficiently on their own. In fact it was even more counterproductive when there was a recommendation from the DPR in a closed a secret meeting last Tuesday regarding the implementation of a Non-Combat Military Operation. It is counterproductive firstly because clearly it is already late. The full mobilization of the army should have been carried out immediately after the earthquake- however in the field at that time we saw that there was no significant mobilization on the part of the army at all, on the contrary fewer qualified troops were sent than for the military emergency. Then secondly, because the civil emergency status in Aceh is not beneficial towards the democratic participation of various elements of civil society in Indonesia and Aceh. Even at this moment it has become evident in the field that the involvement of numerous civil organizations in Indonesia is not guaranteed. The TNI has conducted sweeping operations, checking the identity cards of volunteers several times during the journey of our volunteers from Tapak Tuan to Meulaboh, as well as collecting a 50-100,000 rupiah ‘entry fee’ into Meulaboh itself. Logistical assistance has been centralized to the point that coordination posts are situated within the offices of the local military command. There are also still military operations under way in East, Central and South Aceh. Thirdly, the implementation of this operation- which has even been given legitimacy via a TNI regulation - further strengthens the domination of the military in the process of disaster management and recovery in Aceh. However what is urgently needed is a comprehensive approach, (not the transfer from the government to the Department of Defense of funds to the amount of 250 billion for non-combat military operations) that involves various actors- scientists, urban planners, democratic civil organizations etc within an integrated Disaster Management Operation. As the situation stands now, the TNI has proven itself to be both late and no longer urgently required.
A Government of Beggars that Bows to the Will of International Capital
This rotten and fragile situation has been compounded by the government of SBY, which on the eve of 100 days in office is increasingly revealing its lack of a people orientated, democratic, modern and sovereign character, instead emerging as an elitist, imperialistic and militaristic government that for to long has been a slave to the interests of transnational corporations. Consequently the attitude of this government enslaved to debt (such as has been brought to attention by Agung Laksono) is a stupid attitude that has been proven to create hardship for the people. The offer of countries in the Paris club for a moratorium and the reduction of debt should be increased to include the unconditional elimination of debt for poor countries. It is not necessary to wait and use diplomatic measures tantamount to begging until KTT (??) 6 January 2004. A sovereign and independent government should be capable of forcing donor nations to give grants as well as the equipment that is immediately required for tackling the disaster, such as diesel power plants, and light drilling pumps. And the numerous foreign businesses that have been permitted to operate in Indonesia should be made to move elsewhere if their home country refuses to help Indonesia in tackling the disaster.
Such is the case with the UN. Its plan to build an early warning system (EWS) was said to be scheduled for completion in the countries around the Indian Ocean by the end of 2005. However it has not been explained what this early warning system will be like. Will it be like that built by the US in Honolulu for the Pacific Ocean region or will it be simpler?
A large portion of the houses destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami were made of wood- which is proof that a majority of Acehnese are still poor. A number of others who survived were on an elevated place (multi-story buildings, hills, trees, floating, or in boats). All of this occurred because Indonesia does not have a EWS even though 28 of its region are susceptible to tsunami. There is also no comprehensive system for evacuation and relocation to higher ground. Moreover, this is also due to the fact that they did not heed the warnings from scientists in 2002 that there would be a tsunami, with the result that the Pacific central monitoring station in Honolulu tracked a possible earthquake 15 minutes after the tectonic earthquake.
From this disaster which has taken more than 150,000 lives internationally and caused unparallel destruction, national, regional and international solidarity has proven to have emerged and been effectively mobilized without the command of the government. This solidarity is far greater than the mobilization role played by the government in overcoming this problem. This solidarity between the majority of the people proves that it is the people that are capable, not the government, nor the TNI. It is this solidarity that must be strengthened, in order to overcome the numerous problems caused by a government that is incapable of managing a nation, a slave to foreign interests, corrupt, slow, and militaristic, to the goal of changing the frightening world order (full of war, poverty, starvation, injustice, militarism and oppression) to a world order that is more humane and sides with the majority of the people.
In this regard we, the Central Leadership Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (KPP-PRD), believe that the political solution post-Tsunami Disaster which must be urgently carried out by a Government that is Sovereign, Ruled by the People, Democratic, Modern and Clean is:
Reject the Non-Combat Military Operation in Aceh.
Withdraw the Civil Emergency status, establish a humanitarian pause and ceasefire and proceed towards the formation of a Transitional Regional Government which consists of various democratic elements of Acehnese society, as well as a solution to the ending of the conflict which is democratic and non-violent.
Open access to Acehnese territory and transparency in regards to aid and recovery efforts, both national and international.
The elimination of foreign debt which is not a moratorium or a reduction in debt for Indonesia, which allocates debt installments and its interest to be used for developing Aceh, access to education, housing and health facilities as well as trauma healing in particular, in the interests of the advancement of the welfare of Indonesian society in general, as well as
The UN takes immediate responsibility for establishing a EWS for poor countries, not only rich countries.
Strengthening of the solidarity and power of the people both nationally and internationally in order to free the world of war, militarism, and oppressive neo-liberal globalization.

If this is not able to be carried out, it means that the government currently in power is not a government which is Clean, Sovereign, Democratic, Ruled by the People and Modern.
Jakarta, 5 January 2005
CENTRAL LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE – PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY
(KPP-PRD)
(Translated by I.W.)




SEGERA Update, 9 January

1. Up until now much aid is still piled up in the airports of Blang Bintang, Polonia, Medan and Halim. This is despite the fact that many locations have yet to receive aid, such as the are area of Lhong, on the way to Meulaboh, which has not received any at all.
2. There have been many obstructions to the distribution of aid. These are in the form of complicated administrative procedures, which must be accompanied by Identity Card and other forms of documentation. Even in normal circumstance this sort of thing is complained about, what’s more in an emergency situation. This has occurred in areas where access by the media has been limited such as Meulaboh, Pidie and Aceh Jeumpa.
3. In Meulaboh there are still heavily armed patrols by the security forces which will only serve to increase the terror already felt by the Acehnese people. This is despite the fact that in emergency conditions such as this weapons are no longer used. The food received by refugees is also minimal, only 2 packets of instant noodles and one bottle of water per day. All assistance efforts must be centralised in the local military command, and military commanders have the right to request whatever they want from existing aid command posts without providing details.
4. One consequence of the lack of distribution of aid and medical assistance to several refugee camps has been the death of many refugees, especially women and children. This has occurred in Mata Ie, Ulee Kareng, and a large part of Pidie and Aceh Jeumpa. Up until 4 January, in Banda Aceh there are still many corpses that have yet to be removed, especially in Lamprit, Penjar Keudah, Peunanyong, and the area of Ulee Lee. The same thing is still evident in Pidie and especially in Blang Paseh, Menteng and also the Chinese neighbourhood. This is also the case in Aceh Jeumpa, especially in Samalanga.
5. The aid which is piled up in the airports has not yet been distributed effectively, even though the refugees desperately need them. The procedure for collecting aid has also been made difficult by the TNI which guards the aid held at Blang Bintang airport as well as in Polonia airport in Medan. In the larger aid command posts which are managed by the government, the procedure for collecting materials to distribute to the people is extremely difficult, to the point that there are large amounts of aid material still sitting in the Blang Bintang and Polonia airports. In Polonia airport in Medan there are around 1000 trucks that have yet to be deployed. Volunteers from Medan deployed three trucks to distribute aid, however they weren’t given permission to do so. The regent of Bireun, Mustafa A Gelangggang, should cry because he has been unable to facilitate the transporting of aid from the national command post in Bireun, Medan to Aceh Jeumpa which so desperately needs it. In government subdistrict offices the Acehnese people are being required to show their identity cards before being given aid, even though many have lost them as a consequence of the tsunami.
6. The piling up of aid in a number of command posts in and around Jakarta is due to the difficulties being faced in distributing it to Aceh. In this case it is evident that the government has not taken any cooperative steps in terms of allowing easy access to areas in which aid needs to be distributed. If this is continues to be the case it means that the government is effectively disregarded the much needed humanitarian solidarity that will be gained from the participation of the nations potential as a whole.
7. The lack of organisation and the virtual non-existence of any coordination between Disaster Relief Field Units (Satkorlap) and the local military authorities has meant that everything is operating independently of each other. It is not clear where foreign aid is being coordinated, where official information centres are or where data on missing persons is, which has meant that people are forced to endeavour on their

Friday, January 07, 2005

Aceh: The TNI's new problem - to keep the truth hidden

The AustralianFriday, January 7, 2005

Journalists Told to Keep Quiet on Aceh Skirmish
By Martin Chulov

AUSTRALIAN journalists who witnessed a confrontation between Indonesian soldiers and alleged separatists in tsunami-ravaged Sumatra yesterday were ordered to leave the area and warned not to report on the incident.The clash occurred just 40km from the provincial capital Banda Aceh, the centre of the relief operation spearheaded by US and Australian forces in Aceh, where some 100,000 people died from the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunamis. After being the apparent target of rebel snipers, government soldiers fired into the air and roughed up Indonesians they suspected were Free Aceh Movement (GAM) sympathisers.

The incident prompted special forces (Kopassus) soldiers to confront The Australian's representatives in the area. "Your duties here are to observe the disaster, not the conflict between TNI (the Indonesian army) and GAM," a Kopassus commander told The Australian's journalist and photographer before ordering them to leave. The international relief effort and the arrival of foreign journalists have presented the Indonesian military with a dilemma - how to maintain military operations against the rebels while not attracting international attention to the 28-year-old conflict. In the absence of a ceasefire, Indonesian military leaders have been anxious to avoid giving the impression that their commitment to contain the rebels was hampering their emergency relief role.

The military says yesterday's skirmish began when rebels on a fishing boat fired at tsunami victims and soldiers at Lhoknga, on Aceh's devastated west coast. No one was injured in the incident, near a destroyed bridge about 40km southwest of Banda Aceh, said Sergeant Muhammad Guntur. The two gunshots rang out when a TNI patrol was wrapping a dead soldier in black plastic. The soldiers formed quickly into battle lines and ran across the dunes, a lieutenant calling urgently for backup.

The Australian was in what was once a GAM stronghold and which for the past two years has been a hotspot in the Indonesian Government's fight against the rebels. Within minutes, a truck carrying Kopassus soldiers arrived.Locals waiting to head south huddled with downcast eyes. Three men were hauled from the crowd, pushed into lotus positions and interrogated.

Then another trio was summonsed. As one local tried to ride off on a motorbike, a Kopassus soldier shouted angrily and fired two shots in the air. He walked up to the motorbike rider and hit him twice across the face, then threatened him with the butt of his M-16. The rider was hauled away and accused of being a GAM sympathiser who had tried to flee. We were told to leave and again reminded of constraints on reporting in Aceh. For the past week, Lhoknga had been a staging point for refugees from the remainder of the west coast who had fled their villages, or those game enough to walk the other way along the ruined road, seeking out relatives.

All morning, troops wearing combat kit had been stopping those heading south, accusing them of forming new supply lines for rebels in the hills. This was the last TNI station between Banda Aceh and the great unknown. The only other soldiers along the coastline to Sumatra are involved in relief work. The checkpoint officers had been rigorous, to the point of pedantry. One local was asked why he was carrying five bananas on his 160km journey. He was allowed to leave after a five-minute grilling. The official line from Jakarta has been that GAM, or the Free Aceh Movement, which has fought a decades-long guerilla campaign to win self-rule, is all but a spent force.

The army believes it is now in a mopping-up phase. But during yesterday's alert a young soldier said his platoon had been involved in two contacts with rebels since the tsunami hit. A spokesman for the Indonesian embassy in Canberra said the TNI had a role to maintain security, and this case might have been a simple example of that. "The role of the TNI is to assist in the humanitarian role but, because of the limited police, the TNI has a role in maintaining the rule of law in Aceh. At these times there's an opportunity for the insurgents to exploit the situation. The TNI is trying to stop that."

SEGERA REPORT January 6

Issued by SEGERA: Solidarity with the Acehnese People Movement (SEGERA)
January 6, 2005 in Indonesian.
1. About taxing of assistance or humanitarian workers;

This information we received from one of our volunteers on 29th December, who is currently travelling from Tapak Tuan to Banda Aceh (it is best that their name is not disclosed). They witnessed that not only volunteers, but also the people that are attempting to enter Meulaboh, are being forced to pay a fee that is as high as we mentioned previously. This could be the work of rogue elements of the TNI, however what is certain is that they are not being coordinated or that the local military command is deliberately doing nothing to stop them. The people are aware of this problem, but are too afraid to complain as they need to be able to get into Meulaboh in order to search for their family.
Regarding the illegal taxes on trucks carrying relief supplies, this is indeed not a new problem. We know for certain that since the introduction of the military emergency every vehicle that passes by a TNI post is stopped and forced to pay an indeterminate amount. Instances of relief supplies being blocked, which the military claims has been conducted by GAM, cannot yet be verified, mainly due to the fact that the military itself has done similar things since the beginning its operations in Aceh.
2. About TNI sale of assistance at Banda Aceh, Bireun and Meulaboh;
Yes. Many of our volunteers have seen this in the field, at Bandara Polonia and Blang Bintang Malikussaleh. This could also be the work of rogue elements of the TNI, however once again this cannot yet be investigated directly.
3. TNI theft of aid from Banda Aceh airport;
We are not yet prepared to verify this information, as it has been conveyed by word of mouth from volunteers who claim to have witnessed it first hand. These practices have not yet been investigated. Indeed, even journalists have so far only covered relief efforts and human tragedy stories, and have failed to do any investigative reporting.
4. To this 12th day, there are still several islands that have not yet received any help. One of these is Simeuleu Island where 24.000 people are facing starvation.
5. There was an arrest of a person by the TNI who was suspected of being a native CIA operative, who has since been returned to their community in the area of Montasik, Banda Aceh, on 2 January. There are reports that the village head in this area was also detained (their name is difficult to obtain), and news of this has upset refugees. These arrests are suspected as being due to the belief that the CIA has infiltrated into local neighbourhoods.
6. The ongoing uncertainty resulting from the disorderly nature of the government’s field coordination is presenting great difficulties for volunteers.
7. The frustration of the inhabitants of Banda Aceh regarding the slow and erratic handling of the post-earthquake situation is implicit in the scuffles and tensions breaking out in refugee camps. This is primarily in relation to the uneven and slow assistance in the removal of corpses and provision of aid. However they are not brave enough to openly express their frustrations due to presence of large numbers of military, paramilitary police and intelligence operatives in the refugee camps. Even though it was the military that initially should have quickly coordinated relief efforts, locals witnessed that they were not coordinated at all and did not mobilise sufficiently.
8. From various reports in the national media, the government (the Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare, Alwi Sihab) has consistently denied that there have been any delays, and that every area has received equal distribution of aid. However, from the testimonies of people in a number of villages who have been interviewed by the media, the actual situation is the opposite. There are many villages far from Banda Aceh that are still littered with corpses and have yet to receive assistance with coordinating refugees or relief (including the Simeuleu Island).
DONATE TO SEGERA:
Immediate use of the fund would be to send volunteers to areas of disaster in Aceh, to help aceh-based volunteers and to evacuate victims. Volunteers are urgently needed to do relief work, to evacuate victims, to restore healthy environment so that the spread of disease can be stopped as much as possible, as well as to monitor the distribution of aid to ensure that the victims would receive it.
A new bank account, allowing for more rapid transfer and access by SEGERA, has been opened in Jakarta. It is recommended that all donations be transferred into this account. Pooling of donations from among friends will save the expensive transfer costs.

Account name:: Yulia Evina Bhara.
Account number: 10005966325
Commonwealth Bank Jakarta - 12920 - Indonesia
Branch: Jl;. Jenderal Sudirman, Jakarta.
IMPORTANT: When transfering money please make sure that the Clearing Code/SWIFT: 9500307 is written onto the transfer form.
Clearing Code/SWIFT: 9500307

SEGERA contact details:

SEGERA (Solidaritas Gerakan Rakyat untuk Aceh)Jl Tebet Barat Dalam VIII L no 2Jakarta Selatan – IndonesiaPhone : 62-21-8309061

segera_aceh@yahoo.com

liaison in Australia:

Max Lane

max_lane@bigpond.com


Thursday, January 06, 2005

East Timor to help Aceh

From Riyong Kim to Max Lane, ASAP
Thank you for your updates regarding the situation in Aceh.
Several NGOs in Dili, East Timor are gathering this afternoon to discuss possible ways of helping out Aceh. As you all know, East Timor itself has undergone a period of emergency, and many of our East Timorese colleagues here are experienced from the early stages of emergency response and aid distribution to the establishment of sustainable livelihoods. There is a keen interest in assisting in whatever way is possible, whether it be just collecting donations or sending volunteers up there to assist. However, we are acutely aware that this needs to be an organised and coordinated effort to avoid doubling up and be of use.
Please keep sending information on to us in regard to what exactly is needed and how we could be of best help to you.
Terima kasih atas berita mengenai situasi di Aceh.
Beberapa NGO di Dili, Timor Leste akan kumpul nanti sore untuk membahas cara-cara membantu Aceh. Timor Leste sendiri pernah mengalami era darurat, dan banyak kawan-kawan kita di Timor Leste telah berpengalaman dari tahap darurat dan pendistribusian bantuan sampai ke tahap pemberdayaan dan pencarian nafkah hidup. Kami ingin dan semangat sekali membantu dalam hal apa saja, baik koleksi sumbangan maupun kirimkan para sukarelawan kesana untuk membantu. Namun, kami sadar bahwa perlu diorganisir dan dikoordinasi dengan baik supaya dapat bermanfaat dan mencegah kerja rangkap.
Tolong kirimkan informasi terus kepada kami di Timor Leste, mengenai apa saja yang dibutuhkan, dan bagaimana kami dapat membantu.
Salam solidaritas dari Timor Leste.

Journalists among victims of tsunami disaster

Title -- 4605 REGION: Journalists among victims of tsunami disaster
Date -- 6 January 2005
Byline -- None
Origin -- Pacific Media Watch
Source -- IFEX Communique Vol 14 No 1, 4/1/05
Copyright - IFEX
Status -- Unabridged

-------------------------
* Pacific Media Watch Online - check the website for archive and links:
www.pmw.c2o.org
* Post a comment on this story at PMW's Right of Reply:
www.voy.com/166636/

JOURNALISTS AMONG VICTIMS OF TSUNAMI DISASTER

(IFEX/Pacific Media Watch): Dozens of journalists and media workers were among the victims of last week's devastating tsunami disaster that has so far claimed the lives of over 150,000 people in South Asia, including staff members of Serambi Indonesia, the only daily newspaper in the Indonesian province of Aceh, report IFEX members.

The Alliance of Independent Journalists (Aliansi Jurnalis Independen, AJI) is appealing for financial assistance to help the families of journalists who have been killed or have gone missing in Indonesia. AJI has 36 members in the affected areas, which include Lhokseumawe and Banda Aceh. It says 17 of its 25 members in Banda Aceh are missing.
Financial assistance can be sent to:
Account Number: 446-1479
Beneficiary Name: ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS
Name of Bank: BNI Senayan Branch
SWIFT Code: BNINIDJA
Address of Bank: Jl. Gatot Subroto Kav. 55, Central Jakarta 10210

Contact AJI at: Jl. Danau Poso Blok D1 no. 29, Bendungan Hilir, Jakarta,
Indonesia 10210; Tel: +62 21 5790 0489; Fax: +62 21 573 4581;
E-mail: sekretariatnya_AJI@yahoo.com

In Banda Aceh, the tsunami swept through the offices of "Serambi Indonesia," reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). At least 80 staff members are missing or feared dead. Since its establishment in the early 1990s, the Indonesian-language newspaper has been one of the only sources of information from Aceh, a province ravaged by armed conflict. The publication has been subjected to numerous violent attacks, threats and intimidation from members of the Indonesian military forces and from separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has collected 18,000 Euro (US$24,000) from trade union affiliates around the world to support the families of journalists affected by the disaster. IFJ says up to 200 journalists and media workers are reported missing in
Indonesia.

Visit:
- AJI Appeal: http://www.newssafety.com/stories/insi/indo31.htm
- IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=2884&Language=EN
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2004/Indonesia30dec04na.html
- AP Story on "Serambi Indonesia":
http://www.newssafety.com/stories/ap/aceh03.htm
- Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/12/29/9942.htm

+++niuswire

PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH ONLINE
http://www.pmw.c2o.org

Email:
delaro@clear.net.nz
pcronau@hotmail.com
Fax: (+679) 30 5779 or (+612) 9660 1804
Mail: PO Box 9, Annandale, NSW 2038, Australia
or, PO Box 78028, Auckland 1002, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Website: www.pmw.c2o.org

New bank details for SEGERA Aceh appeal:

Commonwealth Bank Jakarta - 12920 - Indonesia
Branch: Jl;. Jenderal Sudirman, Jakarta.
Account name:: Yulia Evina Bhara.
Account number: 10005966325
When transfering money please make sure that the Clearing Code/SWIFT: 9500307 is written onto the transfer form.

Immediate use of the fund would be to send volunteersto areas of disaster in Aceh, to help aceh-basedvolunteers and to evacuate victims. Volunteers areurgently needed to do relief work, to evacuatevictims, to restore healthy environment so that thespread of disease can be stopped as much as possible,as well as to monitor the distribution of aid toensure that the victims would receive it.
SEGERA (Solidaritas Gerakan Rakyat untuk Aceh)Jl Tebet Barat Dalam VIII L no 2Jakarta Selatan – IndonesiaPhone : 62-21-8309061
SEGERA activists in Aceh who survived the disaster:
1. Ahyar (FPDRA) - his entire family in Meulaboh isstill missing2. Ajes (FPDRA)3. Hendra (SMUR) - his entire family in Ulee Lee isstill missing4. Jasman (FPDRA)5. Edi S (FPDRA)6. Yuli Rais (Chairman of SEFA)7. Ratna (ORPAD)8. Farhan (FPDRA)9. Kokot (SEFA)10. Hospi (SEFA)11. Fakri (SEFA)12. Iksan (SEFA)13. Adin (SEFA)14. Yusmadi (SEFA)15. Amri (SSG) - his wife and children are missing16. Davit (SMUR)
SEGERA activists in Aceh whose whereabout are unknownand whose village or house were destroyed by thedisaster:
1. Muslim (FPDRA)2. Kurnia (SMUR)3. Tofik Hidayat (SEFA)4. Ira Welya (ORPAD)5. Cut Agustina (ORPAD) - her entire family inMeulaboh is still missing6. Nursida M (FPDRA) - her entire family in Meulabohis still missing
FPDRA: Front Perlawanan Demokratik Rakyat Aceh -Acehnese People Democratic Struggle FrontORPAD: Organisasi Perempuan Aceh Demokratik - WomensOrganization for Democracy in Aceh SEFA: Save Emergency For AcehSSG: Sue Support GroupSMUR : Solidaritas Mahasiswa Untuk Rakyat - Student’sSolidarity for the People
+++++++++++++++
By this evening you can check www.acehsolidarity.blogspot.com for information on SEGERA activities

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Messages from Aceh

I have received emails and text messages from Indonesia since Aceh was hitby the Tsunami. There seems to be an enormous rallying of popular solidarityfor the Acehnese. "posko"s, kinds of street side kiosks, are being set up tocollect clothes are needed things. One text message came from Dita Sari, theIndonesian labour leader. She was in Makassar, Sulawesi, in EasternIndonesia, far away from Aceh. She reported that as far away as Makassarthere were posko set up almost every 300 metres.My partner, Faiza Mardzoeki, who is currently in jakarta also says that manyof the NGOs, politiical groups, and woemn and cultural organisations havealso set up such poskoStudent activists are also planning demonstrations to keep up pressure onthe government to make sure sufficient aid goes to the region.
Max Lane

SEGERA: Relief Operation for Tsunami Victims in Aceh Hampered by the StateSix

Six days after the tsunami waves swept the coast ofthe Indonesian province of Aceh and part of NorthSumatra, causing the loss of at least 80,000 lives,the victims are still lacking access to reliefsupposedly distributed by the state apparatus. Thewestern coast of Aceh that was hit the hardest, suchas the city of Meulaboh where only one-fifth of itstotal population of 50,000 is expected to survive, isstill relatively unreachable. The government is soslow in distributing relief that tons of donationpiles up at the airports of Jakarta; of Medan, thecapital of North Sumatra; and of Banda Aceh, thecapital of Aceh. The authority had decided to nolonger accept aid donation from the people in the formof clothing, food, equipment and medicine.

Meanwhile,government procedures hamper international aid toreach Aceh, partly due to the civil emergency statusin Aceh that has isolated the province from theinternational community. Aceh suffered from decades ofconflicts with the central government and since May2003 it has again become target of the Indonesianmilitary operation that caused hundreds of civiliancasualties.The feared disease outbreak that, according to theWHO, could double the loss of lives is more and morethreatening as victims started to get infested withcholera, diarrhea, and skin diseases due to the lackof access to clean water, sanitation, food andmedicine.

Thousands of human bodies can be found onevery corner of Banda Aceh while there is not enoughhuman resource and equipment to bury them; similar orworse situations obviously can be found on the westerncoast of Aceh. The bodies are decaying in open air,contaminating water and air, and increasing the riskof disease outbreak. Relief workers from thegovernment, urgently needed to evacuate victims andbury the bodies, take very long time to get to theareas of disaster due to the lack of means oftransportation and the destruction of communicationinfrastructure. The police and army personnel, thatare equipped with better equipment and vehicles, arereportedly incapable to perform most of the reliefworks.The enthusiasm of people in other parts of the countryto help Aceh is very high. Aid-collecting posts(posko) or crisis centres are mushrooming throughoutIndonesia and many people are drafting as volunteers.Civilian organizations in and outside Aceh that hadmanaged to send their volunteer to the disaster areasare taking more role than the state apparatus is inhelping the victims.

They erected tents and gavesanitation; distributed food, clothing and medicine;buried bodies and evacuated victims. However, thenumber of volunteers, relief workers, experts andmedics are still far from sufficient.At the same time, civilian volunteers have to facemany obstacles to perform relief works in Aceh. Theairplane ticket price to Aceh from Jakarta or fromMedan suddenly became as high as threefold the normalprice as airline companies are drawing profit from thedisaster. Neither has the government given anyaccommodation nor help for the volunteers. Reportedly,in some disaster areas that are still isolated andwhere information centers are yet exist, the stateapparatus charged some fees to volunteers. To overcomesuch obstacles some civilian organization consolidatedand formed the Civil Society Coalition for the Victimsof Earthquake and Tsunami, to mobilize relief andvolunteers and to monitor the flow of aid to Aceh. Itis also important to supervise the relief operation,as there have been a lot of cases in the past whenrelief or humanitarian fund was corrupted.

Thecoalition has also sent as many as 100 volunteers toAceh.The Solidarity of People Movement for Aceh (SEGERA) –in itself a coalition that struggle for the democraticrights of the Aceh people, formed since 2001,consisted of labour unions, student organizations,acehnese pro-democracy organizations and somepolitical parties – is among the 24 organizations thatjoined the coalition. Until the time of the writing,SEGERA have sent 15 volunteers from Jakarta todisaster areas in Aceh. Almost all of them areacehnese democratic activists outside Aceh, whosefamilies become victims or are still missing. Morevolunteers are being prepared to follow them soon.SEGERA has set up aid-collecting posts (posko) orcrisis centers in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung andMedan; and aid-distribution posts in two cities inAceh, Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.

As a response to thesluggish relief operation, SEGERA urges that:

1. The government revokes the status of civilemergency to open access to Aceh for local andinternational aid and relief operation.

2. The state apparatus and the military give moreaccess and facilities to both national andinternational civilian organizations to allow themmore involvement in the relief operation

3. The government immediately conduct a reconstructionand rebuild the infrastructure destroyed by thedisaster
January 1st, 2005
Solidaritas Gerakan Rakyat untuk Aceh - Solidarity ofPeople Movement for Aceh (SEGERA)

Joint Statement: Civil Society Coalition for the Victims of Earthquake and Tsunami

In the action for mourning, prayer and platform ofsolidarity
Sunday morning, December 26th 2004, Tsunami waves hitAceh and North Sumatra. It was the biggest disaster inIndonesia since the last 40 years. The Tsunami wascaused by an earthquake of 8,9 richter scale. Up untilnow, Aceh is totally paralysed, its infrastructure isdestroyed and, according to the latest record, morethan 30,000 lives were lost; thousands others werewounded and took refuge. The death count is expectedto mount due to the possibility of following earthquake and post-disaster disease outbreak. The diasater had also rampaged some areas in eight Asian countries.
Amidst the ongoing Aceh conflict and the suffering ofthe acehnese ever since the implementation of theMilitary Operation (1989-1998), the Martial Law(2003-2004) and the Civil Emergency (2004-until now),we are obviously concerned with this catastrophe thathas destroyed almost all resource in the province. Thedestruction of telecommunication network has causeddifficulty in accessing any information from and tocertain parts of Aceh; difficulty in sending food,clothing, and shelter as relief for the victims in thecoastal areas; and the lack of relief worker that canreach the areas.
In the name of humanity, we, Civil Society Coalitionfor the Victims of Earthquake and Tsunami, expressedour sorrow and concern over the disaster. As a form ofsolidarity act, we consolidate ourselves to directlymake intervention by giving aid immediately, as wellas within mid-term and long-term period, in the formof:
1. Making assessment of the situation and of theneeds in the areas hit by the disaster
2. Sending humanitarian volunteers to helpevacuation, investigation and registering process
3. Collecting information of post-disasterdevelopment
4. Setting up relief posts (posko) that can beaccessed by anyone who wants to donate various kinds of aid. To ensure that the donation will becoordinated, effective, correctly allocated, and willreach those who need it. The posts and their addressesare attached.Besides that, we also call for:
1. the solving of any technical and non-technicalproblem of the relief operation and the opening ofaccess for national and international humanitarian aid
2. demanding that the government provide means oftransportation to accelerate the distribution of aidand relief, communication means and medics
3. a humanitarian pause in Aceh and demanding thatthe belligerents stop armed contact
4. demanding that the government inform the publicabout the location of aid centers that are accessibleto the public and ensure that logistic help andhumanitarian fund received by the government willactually be distributed to the victims
5. urging all layers of society to collectivelymonitor the allocation of logistics and humanitarianfund conducted by the government so that it willactually reach the victims. This is very important asa lot of corruption cases of humanitarian fundhappened in the past.
6. ensuring that the recovery system in the areas hitby the disaster is implemented well and is supportedwith enough resources, as well as managedtransparently and with responsibility.
Thus we made our joint statement as a call to everyoneto forge solidarity and to share with the people ofAceh and North Sumatra who have become victims ofearthquake and Tsunami.
Jakarta, December 29th 2004Civil Society Coalition for the Victims of Earthquakeand Tsunami(Walhi,KontraS,AcehKita,Kalyanamitra,SEKAR,SEGERA, LBH-Apik,Shmi,TRK,Ciliwung, Amos,Yappika,JMP-KWI, Imparsial,AWG,Garda Bangsa,PerempuanMahardika, PMII,IMAPA,LMND,FPPI,FMN,PRD,FNPBI,KPI)

Reports from SEGERA volunteers

News from the Medan POSKOThe main problem for the smaller posko staffed by activists relates to the difficulties in transportation from Medan to Aceh and the transportation to thyen get goods to the more interior sites. We ahd to wait two days for rent a lorry and we had tp pay 5 million rupiah (AUD$700approx) per trip. Their other problem is the cost of communications – without being able to use mobile phones they are cut off, and there is no budget for mobile phone calls.
The volunteers are emphasising the ca.,l for food because there are many points not being reached where starvation is rampant. Foods could be dry hoods, salted fish, eggs, sardines, rice, beans and so on.
In the larger posko run by the government the procedure for getting goods out is very diffocult. Aid is piling up at the Polonia airport (Medan) as wekk as the Blkand Nintang aiurport and the offices of the district heads. At Polonia aiprot there are goods enough for 1,000 trucks just sitting there. A SEGERA activist brought three lorries but he was mpot allowed to take any goods. Even the Bupati (Sub-Provincial Head) of Bireuen, Mustafa Gelanggan, brokle don crying because neither could he get goods out of the aurport.
At Blang Bintan Airport, in Aceh instant mie, sent as aid, is being sold at 600 rupoiah a packet,In district head offices, aid goods are only being released to people with I.D. cards. – but after the tsunami how can most people find their I.D. cards?
New from Meulaboh, West AcehThe fate of 49, 000 people in the residency (sub-provincial region) of West Aceh is still not known. Meanwhile thousands of refugees from the area are surviving on one meal a day. According to reports from this area, 47,000 people are registered as refugees, and 6,000 recorded as dead up until 3 January. But in a population of 102,000 that leaves 49,000 unaccounted for. These are from the regions of Samatiga, Anangan Lapang, Johan Pahlawan, Kaway 16 and Merbou. Despite efforts by volunteers, governemnt personnel and the local community, onlyu small numbers of corpses have been found.At night, the atmosphere is very oppressive. It is pitch black because there is no electricty. Nobody dares go out.
Saat ini DPR sudah mengusulkan untuk gelar operasi militer non perang di aceh. Sesuai dengan UU TNI yang baru. Jadi semua jalur akan dikuasi oleh TNI. (lihat detik hari ini)
Issued by Thamrin Ananda, SEGERA, Jakarta, Jan 3SOLIDARITAS GERAKAN RAKYAT UNTUK ACEH – latest NEWSBANDA ACEHSEGERA volunteers have surveyed 8 refugee points: the TVRI television station, the parliament building,1. Assesment sudah dilakukan di 8 titik pengungsi, antara lain: TVRI, DPRD, Mata Ie, Kaju, Ladong, Lamyoeng while in there are three refugee points. Concentartions range from 300 to 3,000. All are still insufficient in medicines and food.
2. We need more of everything: food, petrol, vehicles. And more volunteers.
3. The current storage area we are using is now too small, we are now looking for a biogger place,
4. SEGERA has set up three new posko in Darusalam, Ketapang and Blang Bintang5. New psoko are needed to deal with specific issues: to look after children, to help find families, mecicine and public kitchens.
SEGERA volunteers now in place at various POSKO and also looking for their familes are: Raihana (Chairperson, ORPAD), Risna (ORPAD), Rahmawati (ORPAD), Nurani (ORPAD), RAHMAT (SMUR-FPDRA), Mahmudal (SMUR-FPDRA), Zamzami (PDRM-FPDRA), Syafruddin (SMUR-FPDRA)TAPAK TUAN (Aceh-Selatan) – MEULABOHLatest information::1. 5 SEGERA volunteers (Darma, Muksin, 1 from Medan and 2 from Gerakan Pemuda Kerakyatan) with their aid materials have arrived inMeulaboh, but communications have been broken.
2. Any posko set up by volunteers must be in the local MILITARY DISTRCIT (KODIM) commad and under the coordination of the TNI. Theer is a strong impression that the TNI willonly aid those who indicate they are willing tpo work under the TNI and not independently.

5. On January 3 at 18.42 hrs, volunteers amnd others were having to pay 60-100 thousand rupiah to cross ln the ferry. Nobody dared protest.7.A U.S> warshipdocked at Ulele at 12.20. Security personnel and Mobile Police (BRIMOB) are everywhere fully armed guarding empty shops.
Up-date information from activistsin the field who are part of the volunteer team of the Civil Society Coalition for the Victims of Earthquake and Tsunami. – issueded by Zelly Ariane in Indonesian language, Jan 4., SEGERA, Jakarta.GLOSSARYFPDRA: Front Perlawanan Demokratik Rakyat Aceh -Acehnese People Democratic Struggle FrontORPAD: Organisasi Perempuan Aceh Demokratik - WomensOrganization for Democracy in AcehSEFA: Save Emergency For AcehSSG: Sue Support GroupSMUR : Solidaritas Mahasiswa Untuk Rakyat - Student’sSolidarity for the PeopleWHAT IS SEGERA?The Solidarity of People Movement for Aceh (SEGERA) – in itself a coalition that struggle for the democratic rights of the Aceh people, formed since 2001, consisted of labour unions, student organizations, acehnese pro-democracy organizations and some political parties – is among the 24 organizations that joined the coalition. Until the time of the writing, SEGERA have sent 15 volunteers from Jakarta to disaster areas in Aceh. Almost all of them are Acehnese democratic activists outside Aceh, whose families become victims or are still missing. More volunteers are being prepared to follow them soon. SEGERA has set up aid-collecting posts (posko) or crisis centers in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung and Medan; and aid-distribution posts in two cities inAceh, Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. As a response to the sluggish relief operation, SEGERA urges that:

1. The government revokes the status of civil emergency to open access to Aceh for local andinternational aid and relief operation.
2. The state apparatus and the military give more access and facilities to both national andinternational civilian organizations to allow them more involvement in the relief operation

3. The government immediately conduct a reconstruction and rebuild the infrastructure destroyed by the disaster January 1st, 2005

Solidaritas Gerakan Rakyat untuk Aceh - Solidarity ofPeople Movement for Aceh (SEGERA)----Solidarity fund for Aceh can be transferred to the account set up by SEGERABank International Indonesia

Name: Yuliana Ronauli MMPBSA/Swift Code: 281013
Account No: 1-121-162097
Immediate use of the fund would be to send volunteersto areas of disaster in Aceh, to help aceh-basedvolunteers and to evacuate victims. Volunteers areurgently needed to do relief work, to evacuatevictims, to restore healthy environment so that thespread of disease can be stopped as much as possible,as well as to monitor the distribution of aid toensure that the victims would receive it.SEGERA (Solidaritas Gerakan Rakyat untuk Aceh)Jl Tebet Barat Dalam VIII L no 2Jakarta Selatan – IndonesiaPhone : 62-21-8309061[ASAP still needs money urgently to send to grassroots organisation--SEGERA -- in Aceh. Donate now.]