An interesting pair of articles has come out this week, on August 11 and 13, by Brian Padden for Voice of America. Mr Padden was gathering information for stories on the distribution of aid for tsunami survivors versus individuals and families in conflict-affected areas. JMD staff spent over a week taking the Jakarta-based reporter to significant parts of Aceh, especially Aceh Jaya on the west coast, to see firsthand the combined effects of the tsunami and the protracted conflict. The first article, reprinted below, touches on some of the work Building Bridges to the Future has done in this area. We’re hoping, however, that Mr Padden takes advantage of the additional sources we had lined up for him, including female ex-combatants) and that subsequent stories paint a more complete picture of the smaller and hard-working NGO’s that have been offering aid in unpopular and hard-to-access areas, where larger agencies fear to tread (or spend time and money).
Fragile Four-Year Peace Prevails in Indonesia's Aceh Province – VOA 11 Aug 09
August 15 marks the fourth anniversary of peace in Aceh province in Indonesia. The tsunami that decimated the region in 2004, killing nearly 170,000 people, and the immense international relief effort that followed helped end a 30-year separatist war. The former leaders the Free Aceh Movement renounced their fight for independence in exchange for leadership roles and a degree of autonomy in Aceh. While peace prevails, it is still fragile.
Aceh's economy
Music and dance performances helped bring out large crowds to the Aceh International Expo. This is in part a celebration of Aceh's growing economic power as an exporter of rice, coffee, oil and natural gas. It is also a testament to the peace that has prevailed in the four years since the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, and the Indonesian government signed a peace settlement in Helsinki, Finland. Chairul Nispa runs a Toyota dealership. He says since the Helsinki agreement, business is getting better, especially in the automotive business. Instead of outsiders brought in by the Jakarta government, former Acehnese rebels are now in charge of the local government and local police are now in charge of security. General Amiruddin Usman, the Aceh security coordinator for the Indonesian government, says the military has for the most part moved to bases outside the region. He says the key to the success of the peace agreement has been the military's restraint in not engaging the former insurgents. Under the peace deal, the local government gets 70 percent of the revenue from Aceh's huge gas and oil reserves. The Jakarta government gets the rest.
Lack of trust hinders peace
But analyst Teuku Kamaruzzaman says the peace remains fragile because neither side trusts the other. He says it is not clear how the percentage of gas and oil revenue is determined. The central and local governments are still arguing over who will be the independent arbiter. Human rights activists also protest the failure to create the truth and reconciliation commission that the peace agreement calls for. Hendra Budian with the Aceh Judicial Monitoring Institute says while it may be uncomfortable to those in power, it is necessary to account for war crimes and abuses that occurred during the decades of conflict. "We cannot forget that. This is also for history," said Budian. "Otherwise it can repeat again. Why? Because there is no instrument to cut the cycle of the violence." Crime remains a problem in region, because many ex-insurgents have not received the training or support to lead peaceful, productive lives. At an open-air restaurant in the rural district of Pidie Jaya, some villagers say the economic benefits of peace have not filtered down to them.
Unemployment, a threat to peace
One villager says it is hard to find jobs, mainly because of the lack of capital. Hendra Budian says in place of the struggle for independence, unemployment and poverty are now the greatest threats to peace. "We finished the vertical conflict in between Aceh and Jakarta," continued Budian. "If we cannot solve this problem we will move to another conflict which is what we call a horizontal conflict, Aceh and Aceh." A group called Building Bridges To The Future has funded projects to help conflict victims in Pidie Jaya. It organized adult education classes. A student says in the past during the conflict, she could not go to school. There was no school. The organization also provided 30 goats and training to others. The group now has 80 goats and earns about $40 a day selling milk. Selling a goat can raise more than $150. The group's members are digging a new well to irrigate their farms and improve crop production. To insure a lasting peace, Budian says the local government must take over and expand education and development opportunities for all the people of Aceh.
--Brian Padden
Padden report - Download (MP3) Padden report - Listen (MP3)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Finally, the proposals are in!
It’s been an extremely busy month for BBF and Aceh-based Jembatan Masa Depan (JMD). All the staff, as well as my associates, colleagues, cohnsultants, friends, and a few experts we buttonholed in different parts of the world and asked for technical advice—worked like mad to finish two large proposals to the Aceh Economic Development Financing Facility (EDFF), the grant making arm of the Multi-Donor Fund—the group of countries that provided relief after the 2004 tsunami. This grant round, administered by World Bank, represents the last of the funds available for rebuilding Aceh, which in this phase nearly 5 years later is focusing not so much on rebuilding as in assuring the province’s economic stability and continued growth. The focus of the funds this time was not only on those areas that had suffered destruction as a result of the tsunami; it recognized the large toll the internal conflict has taken on the quality of life of many people, especially in remote areas. So JMD put together two complementary project proposals in our areas of expertise (that also happen to be the priority areas of this funding): reclamation of destroyed Robusta coffee plantations for about 400 traditional coffee farmers, and the augmentation of the goat dairy industry via the establishment of a milk processing plant. Both these projects are in the Jaya subdistrict of Aceh Jaya, where we first started nearly 5 years ago, rebuilding houses and helping people get back on their feet (literally) after the tsunami.
These projects have actually been in the process of development for years, but we’ve never been given the opportunity to access the necessary funding that would make these dreams a reality. The dairy production/milk processing center project builds on a successful but small dairy initiative in the village of Lamtui and proposes to increase the herd, beneficiaries, and production capacity over the life of the project to the point where an independent dairy association is formed and the processing center is producing a market-driven 500 litres of milk and milk products daily. Pre-tsunami Lamno coffee production catered to the substantially underserved internal Achenese market; JMD’s assistance would directly impact the ability of the 400 farming families in that community to participate in the national marketplace and substantially improve the district’s economy, increasing coffee production from 50 to 500 tons yearly.
As with all our projects, we’re including small business education courses for not only our beneficiaries but all community members. We’re also certified by the Indonesian government to administer a high-school equivalency program called “Paket ABC” that provides alternate degree certification to people whose education was interrupted by the tsunami, the conflict, or other reasons. Another staple component of these two JMD projects is the attention paid to gender roles and the involvement of women as leaders in livelihoods projects, especially in conflict-affected areas where women comprise a great majority of heads of households.
This is an especially exciting project because we have so many wonderful partners helping us, including Syakuala University, the World Wildlife Fund, coffee production expert Tony Marsh, the Vermont Quality of Life Consulting Group, and several local organic farming and sustainable livelihoods NGO’s with a broad range of experience working with at-risk populations in hard to access areas of the province.
The grant funds are for three years. We’re asking for about $3 million, to improve the quality of life of about 2,000 people and stabilize the economy of a subdistrict at the same time.
We should know in about 8 weeks or so if we’ve passed the initial round. This is our biggest effort yet. Wish us luck!
These projects have actually been in the process of development for years, but we’ve never been given the opportunity to access the necessary funding that would make these dreams a reality. The dairy production/milk processing center project builds on a successful but small dairy initiative in the village of Lamtui and proposes to increase the herd, beneficiaries, and production capacity over the life of the project to the point where an independent dairy association is formed and the processing center is producing a market-driven 500 litres of milk and milk products daily. Pre-tsunami Lamno coffee production catered to the substantially underserved internal Achenese market; JMD’s assistance would directly impact the ability of the 400 farming families in that community to participate in the national marketplace and substantially improve the district’s economy, increasing coffee production from 50 to 500 tons yearly.
As with all our projects, we’re including small business education courses for not only our beneficiaries but all community members. We’re also certified by the Indonesian government to administer a high-school equivalency program called “Paket ABC” that provides alternate degree certification to people whose education was interrupted by the tsunami, the conflict, or other reasons. Another staple component of these two JMD projects is the attention paid to gender roles and the involvement of women as leaders in livelihoods projects, especially in conflict-affected areas where women comprise a great majority of heads of households.
This is an especially exciting project because we have so many wonderful partners helping us, including Syakuala University, the World Wildlife Fund, coffee production expert Tony Marsh, the Vermont Quality of Life Consulting Group, and several local organic farming and sustainable livelihoods NGO’s with a broad range of experience working with at-risk populations in hard to access areas of the province.
The grant funds are for three years. We’re asking for about $3 million, to improve the quality of life of about 2,000 people and stabilize the economy of a subdistrict at the same time.
We should know in about 8 weeks or so if we’ve passed the initial round. This is our biggest effort yet. Wish us luck!
Friday, June 26, 2009
RI [Republic of Indonesia] delays repatriation as Dhaka confims report
--from mid-June articles in the Jakarta Post and the newsletter of Doctors Without Borders
The repatriation of 114 Rohingya refugees, confirmed by Indonesia as Bangladeshis, from Aceh has been delayed as Dhaka continues investigating their exact status, an official said Friday. The Foreign Ministry said the refugees, who were part of nearly 400 Rohingya who arrived by boat in Aceh province earlier this year, have agreed to be repatriated to their home country. Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said an investigation into the nationality of the remaining refugees was still ongoing, though the process may take a while before a definite result could be attained.
for the full article go to http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/06/13/ri-delays-repatriation-dhaka-confirms-report.html
Bangladesh: Rohingya Forced Out of Makeshift Camp With Nowhere to Go
Increasing violence and intimidation in a makeshift camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh, is forcing the Rohingya to flee once again. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports on the appalling living conditions and maltreatment refugees are enduring at the hands of local authorities there.
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=3675&cat=field-news
A different editorial on this story is available on the BBC News website at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8109135.stm
The repatriation of 114 Rohingya refugees, confirmed by Indonesia as Bangladeshis, from Aceh has been delayed as Dhaka continues investigating their exact status, an official said Friday. The Foreign Ministry said the refugees, who were part of nearly 400 Rohingya who arrived by boat in Aceh province earlier this year, have agreed to be repatriated to their home country. Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said an investigation into the nationality of the remaining refugees was still ongoing, though the process may take a while before a definite result could be attained.
for the full article go to http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/06/13/ri-delays-repatriation-dhaka-confirms-report.html
Bangladesh: Rohingya Forced Out of Makeshift Camp With Nowhere to Go
Increasing violence and intimidation in a makeshift camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh, is forcing the Rohingya to flee once again. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports on the appalling living conditions and maltreatment refugees are enduring at the hands of local authorities there.
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=3675&cat=field-news
A different editorial on this story is available on the BBC News website at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8109135.stm
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Photos and Multi-Media Presentation of the Rohingya that Everyone Should See
http://www.gregconstantine.com/multimedia/multimedia_fp.htm
Exiled to Nowhere—the Lives of the Rohingya
--Greg Constantine Photos
This is a wonderful site and I urge everyone to visist it to see another dimension of the history of the Rohingya.
Exiled to Nowhere—the Lives of the Rohingya
--Greg Constantine Photos
This is a wonderful site and I urge everyone to visist it to see another dimension of the history of the Rohingya.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
New York Times: Situation Seen as Deteriorating at Aceh Refugee Camp
My friend came through, bless him.
By PETER GELLING
Published: June 5, 2009
JAKARTA — Conditions at a refugee camp holding almost 200 men in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh have deteriorated in recent months, leading to the escape of a known people smuggler and his nephew, according to a nongovernmental organization working there.
A combination of lax security, little funding and poor communication has led to food shortages, violence and an overall atmosphere of fear and distrust among the refugees, who are increasingly nervous about what their future might hold, said Sara Henderson, director of the Building Bridges to the Future Foundation, a small nongovernmental organization.
“It is more critical than ever to ensure timely and appropriate communication to the local authorities and the refugees. But this has not yet happened, and as a result there has been panic and tension in the camp,” Ms. Henderson said. “In addition the security at the camp has not been improved and could be said to have become worse.”
For the full article please go to the Times online at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/06/world/asia/06iht-indo.html
By PETER GELLING
Published: June 5, 2009
JAKARTA — Conditions at a refugee camp holding almost 200 men in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh have deteriorated in recent months, leading to the escape of a known people smuggler and his nephew, according to a nongovernmental organization working there.
A combination of lax security, little funding and poor communication has led to food shortages, violence and an overall atmosphere of fear and distrust among the refugees, who are increasingly nervous about what their future might hold, said Sara Henderson, director of the Building Bridges to the Future Foundation, a small nongovernmental organization.
“It is more critical than ever to ensure timely and appropriate communication to the local authorities and the refugees. But this has not yet happened, and as a result there has been panic and tension in the camp,” Ms. Henderson said. “In addition the security at the camp has not been improved and could be said to have become worse.”
For the full article please go to the Times online at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/06/world/asia/06iht-indo.html
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Priceless
I fear I have offended a higher-up. Oh woe is me whatever shall I do.
We have given this agency time, money and ample opportunity to correctly and adequately address the issues in the Idi camp that they—as receivers of the official funding—should have had in hand from the outset. What do we get? Stalling, obfuscating, and protestations that nothing’s wrong.
I present the latest interchange--in chronological order, so you get the full flavor, but with names changed, because even though we’re reporting public information, I don’t trust anyone these days to not be vindictive. The world of humanitarian assistance is full of, well, humans. Nobody likes to have their flaws exposed.
From: Sara Henderson [mailto:sara@buildingbridgestothefuture.org] Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 10:31 AM
Dear P.
B.R. at UNHCR suggested that I contact you about a severe problem that is happening at the refugee camp in Idi. Before IOM came to Idi on a permanent basis, a group of local NGO's was working there that had divided responsibilities for the refugees at the camp. Since the arrival of IOM there has been much confusion and miscommunication. This seems to be due to a lack of any coordination on the ground between the local NGO's and IOM. In spite of this it appeared that IOM had everything under control. Thus we decided that there was no need for us to continue to supply the camp with food, water, cooking oil, kerosene etc. I wrote to S. F. and others telling them of our exiting the camp. However, last week my staff told me that there were very limited food supplies and only 5 days of rice left. I have to say I was surprised.
My staff and FPRM tried (as they had many time in the past) to get in touch with your staff to discuss this urgent matter, as no one was sure if IOM was going to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the camp. Not only were we confused but the local government had also not been informed. Today N finally made contact with your staff and was told that IOM only provides hygiene kits, and also that it had built a fence. IOM has left the camp in a very precarious state, as there is only rice for today and no funding for tomorrow. Luckily, we still have funds left from one of our donors and will step in at this late point and supply the camp with what is needed.
I regret having to write you about this but we need to all communicate better, cooperate better and consult with one another. Unfortunately, at this time I am in New York but my staff in Aceh is handling this matter. They are concerned because we do not have unlimited funding nor do we have funds to go further than the end of this month. We really hope that we can work together on this critical situation.Thanking you in advance for your kind assistance,
Sara
And his response:
On Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 12:02 PM, PH wrote:
Hi Sara,
Whatever reports you have from your staff are incorrect. IOM has not left the camp in any manner (much less in a precarious state) and there are no problems with food supplies. IOM has been providing food and cooking supplies as needed since we arrived and will continue to do so in the future. FPRM is regularly providing vegetables, fruit and spices. If FPRM ever needed to stop providing these then IOM will provide the shortfall.
IOM has no communication problems with FPRM, PMI or anybody else there to provide assistance. We are also fully aware of the problems that preceded our being given permission to work in Idi. To link our arrival with confusion and miscommunication is another incorrect statement.
Deplu and the Camat’s office understand IOM’s plan to remain in Idi. On the ground in Idi we have almost daily contact with the Camat and/or his staff.
In short, the situation is not as described by your staff.
Regards
P
So I sent P’s note to my staff and received this:
From: D
Subject: Re: Food in Idi
To: Sara Henderson
Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 1:16 PM
I'm sorry, Sara, I think I have said it incorrectly. It wasn’t that IOM refused to buy the rice because they had already supplied hygiene kits and fences to the camp. They have actually contributed quite lot. However, they did not coordinate their contributions with any existing local organizations or village members that have been working in the camp long before IOM came in. This caused doubling items in the warehouse, and almost all of it now has to be discarded. So now, the rice is truly running out. We should ask IOM if they want to supply rice to the camp.
It is also true that this lack of coordination and not working with other groups has offended the local community, and also those who had been supplying food to the refugees in the past. The person that IOM assigned to the camp is very low level, and inappropriate as a representative of IOM in terms of talking to about issues or needs or getting any response.
We know that IOM is authorized by the Indonesian Government (under Deplu) to provide humanitarian assistance at the camp. But they really need to sit down and begin to initiate open communication and coordination--not only with the Camat, PMI and local authorities, but also with local organizations and groups that have been supplying the camp. IOM might not have communication or coordination problems with the Camat, but they do have problems with local organizations and community groups.
So this is IOM’s way of responding to an immediate need in an appropriate and culturally sensitive manner. That only tangentially results in escapes, tension, confusion, and continual lack of supplies.
I know I’ll sleep better tonight knowing I’ve been put in my place by a higher-up. I guess there’s nothing to worry about, then . . .
We have given this agency time, money and ample opportunity to correctly and adequately address the issues in the Idi camp that they—as receivers of the official funding—should have had in hand from the outset. What do we get? Stalling, obfuscating, and protestations that nothing’s wrong.
I present the latest interchange--in chronological order, so you get the full flavor, but with names changed, because even though we’re reporting public information, I don’t trust anyone these days to not be vindictive. The world of humanitarian assistance is full of, well, humans. Nobody likes to have their flaws exposed.
From: Sara Henderson [mailto:sara@buildingbridgestothefuture.org] Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 10:31 AM
Dear P.
B.R. at UNHCR suggested that I contact you about a severe problem that is happening at the refugee camp in Idi. Before IOM came to Idi on a permanent basis, a group of local NGO's was working there that had divided responsibilities for the refugees at the camp. Since the arrival of IOM there has been much confusion and miscommunication. This seems to be due to a lack of any coordination on the ground between the local NGO's and IOM. In spite of this it appeared that IOM had everything under control. Thus we decided that there was no need for us to continue to supply the camp with food, water, cooking oil, kerosene etc. I wrote to S. F. and others telling them of our exiting the camp. However, last week my staff told me that there were very limited food supplies and only 5 days of rice left. I have to say I was surprised.
My staff and FPRM tried (as they had many time in the past) to get in touch with your staff to discuss this urgent matter, as no one was sure if IOM was going to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the camp. Not only were we confused but the local government had also not been informed. Today N finally made contact with your staff and was told that IOM only provides hygiene kits, and also that it had built a fence. IOM has left the camp in a very precarious state, as there is only rice for today and no funding for tomorrow. Luckily, we still have funds left from one of our donors and will step in at this late point and supply the camp with what is needed.
I regret having to write you about this but we need to all communicate better, cooperate better and consult with one another. Unfortunately, at this time I am in New York but my staff in Aceh is handling this matter. They are concerned because we do not have unlimited funding nor do we have funds to go further than the end of this month. We really hope that we can work together on this critical situation.Thanking you in advance for your kind assistance,
Sara
And his response:
On Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 12:02 PM, PH wrote:
Hi Sara,
Whatever reports you have from your staff are incorrect. IOM has not left the camp in any manner (much less in a precarious state) and there are no problems with food supplies. IOM has been providing food and cooking supplies as needed since we arrived and will continue to do so in the future. FPRM is regularly providing vegetables, fruit and spices. If FPRM ever needed to stop providing these then IOM will provide the shortfall.
IOM has no communication problems with FPRM, PMI or anybody else there to provide assistance. We are also fully aware of the problems that preceded our being given permission to work in Idi. To link our arrival with confusion and miscommunication is another incorrect statement.
Deplu and the Camat’s office understand IOM’s plan to remain in Idi. On the ground in Idi we have almost daily contact with the Camat and/or his staff.
In short, the situation is not as described by your staff.
Regards
P
So I sent P’s note to my staff and received this:
From: D
Subject: Re: Food in Idi
To: Sara Henderson
Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 1:16 PM
I'm sorry, Sara, I think I have said it incorrectly. It wasn’t that IOM refused to buy the rice because they had already supplied hygiene kits and fences to the camp. They have actually contributed quite lot. However, they did not coordinate their contributions with any existing local organizations or village members that have been working in the camp long before IOM came in. This caused doubling items in the warehouse, and almost all of it now has to be discarded. So now, the rice is truly running out. We should ask IOM if they want to supply rice to the camp.
It is also true that this lack of coordination and not working with other groups has offended the local community, and also those who had been supplying food to the refugees in the past. The person that IOM assigned to the camp is very low level, and inappropriate as a representative of IOM in terms of talking to about issues or needs or getting any response.
We know that IOM is authorized by the Indonesian Government (under Deplu) to provide humanitarian assistance at the camp. But they really need to sit down and begin to initiate open communication and coordination--not only with the Camat, PMI and local authorities, but also with local organizations and groups that have been supplying the camp. IOM might not have communication or coordination problems with the Camat, but they do have problems with local organizations and community groups.
So this is IOM’s way of responding to an immediate need in an appropriate and culturally sensitive manner. That only tangentially results in escapes, tension, confusion, and continual lack of supplies.
I know I’ll sleep better tonight knowing I’ve been put in my place by a higher-up. I guess there’s nothing to worry about, then . . .
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Update from the Idi Refugee Camp
Well, things have gone from bad to worse in the refugee camp in Idi, I’m afraid. Despite the best efforts of my dear staff to make sure that the refugees were getting as many basic needs met as we could address, and despite pleas from colleagues here in the US and in Indonesia, it seems that once again, a very large and well-respected humanitarian aid agency has proven itself to be anything but. I’m referring to IOM, the International Order of Migrations, and I’ve been biting my hand to keep from screaming about them in the past, but their inability to get out of their own way has reached crisis proportions and I’m done just sitting back and letting my small but dedicated staff and the residents of Aceh Timur shoulder all the burden of keeping these 200 Rohingya safe and fed and advised (clearly and in their own language) of their future here.
So I’m going to post a bit of correspondence between my staff in Aceh who have been at the camps recently, between me and a colleague who has been a humanitarian aid/governance consultant in SE Asia for years, and a kind reporter from the New York Times, who bent over backwards to cover what it could of this story, which admittedly has fallen to “page 6” due to all the other horrors our world is experiencing right now. But despite all the other font page news, there are still 200 men on a beach at the tip of Sumatra that the largest, most well-funded agencies in the world cannot seem to figure out how to help.
That frightens me.
Dear P:
We hope that all is well with you. L. and I are in New York right now but have been apprised of a severe problem that is happening in Idi Rayeuk with the camp and the local community. We feel that if this is happening in Idi Rayeuk it could be happening in Sabang as well. Following is a field report from our staff who go to Idi every week. Our concerns are as follows:
1. REFUGEES DON’T KNOW THEIR FATE: There is lack of communication with the refugees regarding their ‘status determination process’ and we have tried to convey this to UNHCR, IOM and the US Embassy. While they seem to understand our concerns, it has not changed the situation on the ground. Presumptively, UNHCR and IOM are waiting for Deplu [the Indonesian foreign ministry] to take the lead on communication with the refugees. But this has not happened either.
2. REFUGEES ARE NEAR PANIC: As a result of this communication vacuum, the refugees have now heard about it through the newspapers and are in a state of panic and confusion. The local government has also not been informed officially and has also only read reports in the newspaper.
3. ILL-INFORMED REFUGEES MAY CAUSE LOCAL DAMAGE: The situation has lead to what could be a very bad security issue. Already some refugees have tried to escape again. The more panic that is generated the more likely it is that these men in desperation may attempt a massive escape or some kind of action that will lead to violence. This will spill over into the local community where there is already tension concerning the land that the camp is on. There have been a few violent incidents already in the camp but few are reported to the police. As there is little to no security at the camp how can anyone be assured that the local community is not in danger, particularly when there is so much fear and tension among the refugees?
4. INDONESIA MAY LOSE ALL THE GROND IT HAS GAINED: It seems to be such a shame that for lack of a few words all the good will that Indonesia has generated worldwide with their humane treatment of these refugees could ultimately be perceived as a missed opportunity for Indonesian leadership. Instead it will likely all end in a messy tragedy. As you are well aware, there a group of 55 Sri Lankan boat people who arrived several weeks ago and are now in detention in Meulaboh, Aceh Barat. There has also been an increase of Afghan refugees coming into Indonesia. It is critical that the handling of all refugees by all who are in contact with them (ie, UNHCR, IOM, the government, INGO's) follow international standards and principles not just at a policy level but also at an operational level. Any help you can give us to bring this matter to the attention of the national and international public and government will be so appreciated. Please let us know if there is any possibly of you making inquiries at the Foreign Ministry on this brewing tragedy waiting to happen. We will be glad to provide you direct access to our staff on-site and to local leaders.
Best Regards, Sara
**************************************
So . . . Where’d I get this information? Many sources, including staff eyewitness accounts. Read on:
Dear Sara:
I went to the camp this afternoon after visiting three villages in Aceh Timur. The refugees are now panicked when they read in the newspaper that 114 Bangladeshi would be sent home to Bangladesh soon. The refugees thought all of them would be sent home to their home countries, not just Bangladeshi who want to go home-- Myanmarese Rohingyans and some other Bangladeshis would be sent to Batam. The refugees misunderstood what the newspaper said, and some of them tried to escape from the camp again.
Someone from UNHCR, IOM, or Deplu must come to the camp and communicate clearly to the refugees about their status and the plan of sending some of them back. No one from UNHCR, IOM or Deplu has communicated to them what is going on. Their Bahasa is so limited, that they misunderstand what is in the paper ad what is being told to them. The camp is also running out of rice. We need to supply the camp with rice, since no one else has come to donate to the camp other than FPRM with fish and vegetables (with our funding support). The camp needs 120kg rice a day for the refugees, the cost for rice per day is IDR 850 thousand, and the total for a month would be IDR 26 million. Our funding would be enough to supply rice, vegetables, fish, and water to the camp only for 6 more weeks. We still don't know how long these refugees are going to stay at the camp. UNHCR, IOM and Deplu planned to move them to another place or send them back home, but they wouldn't announce how long these refugees will be staying in Idi Rayeuk.
--D
That, my friends, is how large agencies treat small tragedies.
When IOM came charging in about 3 months ago to “save” the refugees from God knows what fate, pretty literally saying “Out of our way, we’ll handle this--” they did not communicate, cooperate or consult with anyone—the locals, the other tiny agencies already involved, anyone. So alienated and uninformed were the other players that everyone just stop doing what they were doing and left it all to IOM, who was receiving money ( that none of us had) from PRM etc. The local fishermen had been giving free fish since the beginning. Can you believe it? These poor people donated fish almost every day from their catch. They were never informed of anything and then IOM starting buying fish for the camp from outside sources, insulting the local community (and being pretty stupid about spending money they didn’t need to). Now we are informed by D and N that they are running out of rice and also need veggies and fish. We try and try to contact IOM to find out what is going on but to no avail so we are back supplying the camp with food, again. Meanwhile IOM wastes no time taking credit for “managing” the camp and “caring” for the refugees, and doesn’t even have the decency to communicate with us, or the refugees themselves!
All I can say is, thank goodness we were frugal and didn’t spend all our money at the outset, so we can contribute to the food needs of the refugees again.
Another example of David bailing out Goliath . . .
So I’m going to post a bit of correspondence between my staff in Aceh who have been at the camps recently, between me and a colleague who has been a humanitarian aid/governance consultant in SE Asia for years, and a kind reporter from the New York Times, who bent over backwards to cover what it could of this story, which admittedly has fallen to “page 6” due to all the other horrors our world is experiencing right now. But despite all the other font page news, there are still 200 men on a beach at the tip of Sumatra that the largest, most well-funded agencies in the world cannot seem to figure out how to help.
That frightens me.
Dear P:
We hope that all is well with you. L. and I are in New York right now but have been apprised of a severe problem that is happening in Idi Rayeuk with the camp and the local community. We feel that if this is happening in Idi Rayeuk it could be happening in Sabang as well. Following is a field report from our staff who go to Idi every week. Our concerns are as follows:
1. REFUGEES DON’T KNOW THEIR FATE: There is lack of communication with the refugees regarding their ‘status determination process’ and we have tried to convey this to UNHCR, IOM and the US Embassy. While they seem to understand our concerns, it has not changed the situation on the ground. Presumptively, UNHCR and IOM are waiting for Deplu [the Indonesian foreign ministry] to take the lead on communication with the refugees. But this has not happened either.
2. REFUGEES ARE NEAR PANIC: As a result of this communication vacuum, the refugees have now heard about it through the newspapers and are in a state of panic and confusion. The local government has also not been informed officially and has also only read reports in the newspaper.
3. ILL-INFORMED REFUGEES MAY CAUSE LOCAL DAMAGE: The situation has lead to what could be a very bad security issue. Already some refugees have tried to escape again. The more panic that is generated the more likely it is that these men in desperation may attempt a massive escape or some kind of action that will lead to violence. This will spill over into the local community where there is already tension concerning the land that the camp is on. There have been a few violent incidents already in the camp but few are reported to the police. As there is little to no security at the camp how can anyone be assured that the local community is not in danger, particularly when there is so much fear and tension among the refugees?
4. INDONESIA MAY LOSE ALL THE GROND IT HAS GAINED: It seems to be such a shame that for lack of a few words all the good will that Indonesia has generated worldwide with their humane treatment of these refugees could ultimately be perceived as a missed opportunity for Indonesian leadership. Instead it will likely all end in a messy tragedy. As you are well aware, there a group of 55 Sri Lankan boat people who arrived several weeks ago and are now in detention in Meulaboh, Aceh Barat. There has also been an increase of Afghan refugees coming into Indonesia. It is critical that the handling of all refugees by all who are in contact with them (ie, UNHCR, IOM, the government, INGO's) follow international standards and principles not just at a policy level but also at an operational level. Any help you can give us to bring this matter to the attention of the national and international public and government will be so appreciated. Please let us know if there is any possibly of you making inquiries at the Foreign Ministry on this brewing tragedy waiting to happen. We will be glad to provide you direct access to our staff on-site and to local leaders.
Best Regards, Sara
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So . . . Where’d I get this information? Many sources, including staff eyewitness accounts. Read on:
Dear Sara:
I went to the camp this afternoon after visiting three villages in Aceh Timur. The refugees are now panicked when they read in the newspaper that 114 Bangladeshi would be sent home to Bangladesh soon. The refugees thought all of them would be sent home to their home countries, not just Bangladeshi who want to go home-- Myanmarese Rohingyans and some other Bangladeshis would be sent to Batam. The refugees misunderstood what the newspaper said, and some of them tried to escape from the camp again.
Someone from UNHCR, IOM, or Deplu must come to the camp and communicate clearly to the refugees about their status and the plan of sending some of them back. No one from UNHCR, IOM or Deplu has communicated to them what is going on. Their Bahasa is so limited, that they misunderstand what is in the paper ad what is being told to them. The camp is also running out of rice. We need to supply the camp with rice, since no one else has come to donate to the camp other than FPRM with fish and vegetables (with our funding support). The camp needs 120kg rice a day for the refugees, the cost for rice per day is IDR 850 thousand, and the total for a month would be IDR 26 million. Our funding would be enough to supply rice, vegetables, fish, and water to the camp only for 6 more weeks. We still don't know how long these refugees are going to stay at the camp. UNHCR, IOM and Deplu planned to move them to another place or send them back home, but they wouldn't announce how long these refugees will be staying in Idi Rayeuk.
--D
That, my friends, is how large agencies treat small tragedies.
When IOM came charging in about 3 months ago to “save” the refugees from God knows what fate, pretty literally saying “Out of our way, we’ll handle this--” they did not communicate, cooperate or consult with anyone—the locals, the other tiny agencies already involved, anyone. So alienated and uninformed were the other players that everyone just stop doing what they were doing and left it all to IOM, who was receiving money ( that none of us had) from PRM etc. The local fishermen had been giving free fish since the beginning. Can you believe it? These poor people donated fish almost every day from their catch. They were never informed of anything and then IOM starting buying fish for the camp from outside sources, insulting the local community (and being pretty stupid about spending money they didn’t need to). Now we are informed by D and N that they are running out of rice and also need veggies and fish. We try and try to contact IOM to find out what is going on but to no avail so we are back supplying the camp with food, again. Meanwhile IOM wastes no time taking credit for “managing” the camp and “caring” for the refugees, and doesn’t even have the decency to communicate with us, or the refugees themselves!
All I can say is, thank goodness we were frugal and didn’t spend all our money at the outset, so we can contribute to the food needs of the refugees again.
Another example of David bailing out Goliath . . .