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APPEAL FROM ACHEH AFTER THE TSUNAMIS PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY Dec. 30, 2004 Dear Friends: I am writing to ask you to collect funds and take action for humanitarian aid for victims of the tsunami in Acheh, Indonesia, the epicenter of the earthquake. Estimates now are that 80,000 have died, and thousands more are threatened with disease and starvation. The Achenese people have been engaged in a long struggle for self-determination, as a result of which they have been under martial law for the past year and a half. All foreigners and reporters were banned from the province until today, and many still are (see TAPOL report below). Almost all NGOs were banned, leaving no structures in place to help the victims except the same military that has been repressing them. Due to the Indonesian government‚s hostility to Acheh, we are afraid it will not properly aid the people there, or even properly permit international relief efforts. That is why we are asking you to send donations to a newly formed relief organization in Medan, just south of Acheh, where the recipients can quickly get the aid to where it is needed. We have been working with political refugees in the U.S. to help the civil society grass-roots movements there, and the friends here assure me that this new organization is made up of well-known, responsible people. Below are (1) details of how to send aid money to the people just mentioned, (2) recent reports on the situation in Acheh and calls for other actions you can take to help, (3) a letter from Peter Hudis urging support for the Achenese struggle for self-determination. You can read about the political struggles in Acheh and elsewhere in Indonesia in many issues of News & Letters newspaper, from Dec. 1999 through Dec. 2004, all available at www.newsandletters.org. For more information, contact News and Letters at arise@newsandletters.org. Anne Jaclard ***************************************** (1) Please send donations to this account in the Medan branch of Bank Central Asia in Indonesia: Account number : 8000 36 74 28 1. Anwar Afwadi, ST 2. Musliadi Address on account: Jln. Gedung Arca no. 3 A, Medan. Swift Code: CENAIDJA (all letters). Since the Swift Code is for the main office of the bank, you need to put KCP KATAMSO MEDAN under "special instructions" on the bank form. Contact information for this group: Muhammad Taufik Abda, Cell: + 62 815 11 222 551,Tel: +62 (61) 7341240 fik_bna@yahoo.com, cofsa2003Acheh@yahoo.com Note: Chase Bank charges $40 for a wire transfer, so you may want to collect some funds and send them all together. ********************************************** (2) Recent news and other action you can take: FROM TAPOL: DEMAND UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO ACHEH The Indonesian government announced today that the status of civil emergency has been lifted in Acheh because of the situation in the region in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunamis which struck on 26 December. However, it is clear that restrictions will remain in force. According to an announcement made in Jakarta by Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, the civil emergency status was being lifted because of the virtual breakdown of governance in the territory. However he made it clear that restrictions were still in place. "Only those involved in humanitarian activities and rehabilitation activities will be permitted to enter the region. Political activities, No! Social activities, okay," he said. He was speaking shortly after UN sources estimated that the death toll in Acheh is now between 50,000 and 80,000, with more bodies being found all the time. Jusuf Kalla did not explain what individuals or organizations wishing to visit Acheh would now need to do or how the continuing restrictions would be enforced. The bare, outrageous fact is that Acheh, whose people are now suffering the gravest catastrophe in their history, with tens of thousands of men, women and children dead and many more tens of thousands now homeless, with towns and villages destroyed and the survivors facing the prospect of widespread disease, is still closed to all but those able to prove that they are involved in humanitarian activities. Of all the countries in the region which have been devastated by the disaster which struck on 26 December, Indonesia is the only country whose government will not allow unrestricted access to the suffering people. It still treats Acheh as a territory which must remain under tight control, regardless of the unimaginable sufferings of its people. Following years of conflict and repression in Acheh, martial law was imposed in May 2003. This forced many local non-governmental organizations and activists to leave the region for fear of arrest or worse. During the past year more than two hundred activists have been tried in kangaroo courts, and are now serving long sentences in dozens of prisons across Java. Many more were forced to leave their homeland and their loved ones, for fear of their lives. A year later martial law was replaced by civil emergency status but this hardly differed from martial law: the military has continued to play a commanding role in Acheh. Conflict has raged in Acheh since the 1970s with thousands of people killed, injured, imprisoned or raped, yet even as the true extent of the natural disaster which struck three days ago in still being calculated, the government in Jakarta insists on maintaining control over whose are allowed in. This means for instance those journalists who may wish to visit Acheh as one of the hardest-hit regions will not be allowed to visit the province because their intentions will be deemed to have nothing to do with humanitarian assistance. Carmel Budiardjo of TAPOL said: "This is an outrageous decision by the Indonesian government and totally unforgivable under the present circumstances. It will continue to maintain a veil of secrecy over what has been happening in Acheh. It also makes it clear that as soon as the present emergency has passed, conditions in Acheh will return to a situation in which the Indonesian military can continue with their military operations, bringing yet more hardship. We call on organizations throughout the world to condemn this decision. Indonesia must lift all restrictions on access to Acheh," she said. TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign ADDRESS TO WRITE the Indonesian Government to open Acheh: Office of the President Istana Merdeka ********************************** FROM EAST TIMOR ACTION NETWORK: Call Your Representative Today to Sign Letter on U.S. Emergency Response to Earthquake and Tsunami; Urge Unrestricted Access to Acheh for International Humanitarian Organizations and Media. As Indonesia and other South and Southeast Asian countries struggle with the effects of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that has already claimed over 20,000 lives - with the death toll expected to rise -- please call your Representative in Congress and urge her/him to: > sign the Dear Colleague letter initiated by Congressman Crowley to Secretary of State Powell calling for immediate U.S. leadership and action in emergency aid relief. The deadline is Jan. 4. The contact in Mr. Crowley's office is Gregg Sheiowitz. > call Secretary Powell and urge him to press Indonesia to allow international NGOs and the media immediate, unrestricted access to Acheh. Acheh, the region closest to the earthquake, has been almost entirely sealed from foreign presence since the beginning of martial law in May 2003. There are rumors that the Indonesian government is now debating whether to allow foreign organizations access to Acheh. The U.S. government has offered assistance. Every second delayed contributes to needless death, sickness and suffering. This is clearly not the time for politics to supersede dire humanitarian needs. Phone calls are the most effective way to contact your Representative. The Congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121; ask for your Representative's office. Then ask to speak with the foreign policy aide. If you don't know who your Representative is, go to http://www.house.gov>www.house.gov to find out. If you are not able to make a phone call, then fax. E-mails are a last option, but are generally less effective than phone calls and faxes. Please call as soon as possible. For more information, contact Karen Orenstein, mail to: karen@etan.org, 202-544-6911. Please let us know the results of your phone calls. ********************************** SEND AID TO INDONESIAN CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION: Indonesian NGOs including WALHI Friends of the Earth Indonesia have established the Indonesian Civil Society Coalition for the Victims of Earthquake and Tsunami to provide aid to the victims. We have set up crisis centers in Jakarta and Medan, North Sumatera. Hundreds of impoverished coastal communities have been destroyed, and a humanitarian disaster can only be averted through a generous international donation response. All funds received by WALHI for the Coalition appeal will be allocated for emergency response as well as the post-emergency phase of rebuilding and restoration of shattered livelihoods. The Medan and Jakarta Crisis Centers collect funds and enlist volunteers in coordination with local organizations. Funds and resources are mobilized by local organizations based in North Sumatera and Acheh. The latest information on our activities and needs, as well as developments on disaster spots will be provided in the form of daily updates in the English website of WALHI-Friends of the Earth Indonesia. Go to http://www.walhi.or.id and click English at top menu. Information received Dec. 30: Lhokseumawe (Information received from Ibrahim, 30 Dec 2004, 12.44 PM) There are 15 more identified refugee spots in Lhokseumawe with approx. 30,000 people. Most of these areas are dealing with shortages of basic food and a lack of sanitation including a large number of unburied dead bodies. (Information received from Budi Arianto, 30 December 2004, 08.30 AM) There are still 257 dead bodies uncollected on the streets of Tanah Pasir. The health condition of survivors is beginning to decline with the occurrence of skin diseases and diarrhea. No medical teams have reached the area. Requirements: to bury corpses as soon as possible (body bags, white shroud cloths, protective gloves and masks); clothing; tents; medicines (for wounds, children, cholera and dysentery treatment); blankets; stoves; water and food, baby milk and baby food; water containers, trucks to transport bodies to burial places. Northern Acheh (Information received via YAPPIKA) Several sub-districts, such as Banda Sakti, Muara Dua, Dewantara, Matang Kuli, have been accessed, however very few crisis centers have been set up. Road access to Dewantara Sub-district from Northern Acheh is open to trucks and containers. Banda Acheh (Information received from Budi Arianto, 30 December 2004) 43,000 dead bodies is the latest official count from local authorities while only 7,000 of them have been buried. There are five crisis centers run by students, the Indonesian Red Cross, and the Indonesian Army respectively. Access by land to Banda Acheh is possible with difficulty by trucks and buses. Eastern Acheh 2 crisis centers are located at Peurelak sub-district run by local mosques. The Peulreulak crisis center can be contacted through Burhanuddin Ilyas or M. Isa at mobile: 0813-6200-5002. Access by land is possible with difficulty by trucks and busses. Langsa At Pusung subdistrict, there are 3 crisis centers run by the survivors and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). The Langsa and Pusung route is not accessible by land, only a helicopter can reach the area. Volunteer Dispatch Our Jakarta crisis center based in the WALHI-Foe Indonesia office have so far dispatched a total of 37 volunteers to Banda Acheh and North Sumatera on Thursday, 30 December 2004. The teams dispatched comprise of doctors, paramedics, and students with knowledge of survival and Search and Rescue techniques. Money Matters The Coalition has received donations amounting to USD$ 9,662. Please send your donations to the following bank account: Name on Account : Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia For further information, please contact Ovi or Estee Ovi's mobile : +62-(0)815-976-7273 or e-mail: ovi@walhi.or.id Estee's mobile : +62-(0)811-89 53 29 or e-mail: estee@walhi.or.id WALHI-Friends of the Earth Indonesia National Office/Crisis Center ********************************* REPORT FROM WASHINGTON POST The Obstacles: Survivors fret; aid bottlenecked By Alan Sipress, Washington Post BANDA ACHEH, Indonesia - Among the tents and tarp shelters hurriedly erected on this city's outskirts, the only medical attention offered yesterday to thousands of refugees from the massive tsunami three days earlier came from a dozen student volunteers handing out painkillers and Vitamin C. Survivors camping on the lawns of a local television station near the oceanfront capital of Acheh province, on the western island of Sumatra, had expected more from the relief effort. Now they feel abandoned. What they did not know was that just five miles away aid was piling up, delayed by bottlenecks and the sheer magnitude of the task. "There has been no help," lamented Yasin, 42, sitting quietly on mats spread beneath a shade tree, hugging his young daughter while he spoke. "We haven't gotten any help at all. Nothing." At the far end of the mats was a sack of rice, almost empty. He figured it would last two more days. "I don't know what I should do then," Yasin said. "I don't have anything left." Yasin's family was fortunate. They had had moments to grab a few essentials and flee to higher ground before the floods generated by Sunday's earthquake 160 miles to the southeast flattened their home in a village on the edge of the city. "We heard people yelling out a warning that the water was coming. We grabbed these things," he said of the sack and a pile of pots, dishes and cups as well as a cooking stove and a bag of red chili peppers. Yasin had bundled it all, plus his mother-in-law, wife and four children, into the back of a stranger's pickup truck that had paused outside their home, and headed to the camp. He said he had expected to receive food. He even heard Indonesian Red Cross workers in the camp announce that rice was coming. "We didn't get anything. Maybe they didn't have enough to go around," he said. Survivors crowded into one of Acheh's largest camps on the grounds of the TVRI regional offices also bitterly complained that food supplies were dwindling and that relief workers distributing rice had not provided enough for even a single meal. Yet only five miles away, at the Indonesian military's main airfield, cartons of instant noodles, bottled water, and medicine were stacked high in a hangar, awaiting delivery to the camps. Two Australian air force transport planes, among the first relief flights to arrive in Acheh since the disaster, landed yesterday with even more water, rations and medicine, adding to the mountain of assistance languishing at the base. Foreign relief officials said distributing supplies from the airport to camps and shelters in Acheh is posing alarming difficulties. Some speak of exceedingly poor coordination between the Indonesian military, civilian officials and foreign governments. Michael Elmquist, head of the U.N. Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Indonesia, said the challenge was unprecedented. "It's really a question of organizing the distribution," he said. "To organize a rescue operation of this size in a couple of days has never been done." He called delays in moving aid through the airport "one of the key problems that needs to be resolved." Elmquist reported that U.N. agencies already had started dispatching substantial aid to Acheh and planned to supply 12 tons of fortified biscuits, eight tons of noodles, half a ton of medical supplies, 5,000 body bags and 50 generators. Indonesian officials have acknowledged bottlenecks, explaining that phone service and roads were severed across the province, hampering relief efforts. They added that local government had collapsed because so many public employees were dead or traumatized by grief. At the military airfield, 10 men in civilian clothes lugged boxes of noodles into the hangar from the tarmac, where they had been deposited by an Indonesian military transport plane. Then they stopped altogether, breaking open a box to snack on dry noodles. Air Force Lt. Ardian Budi said that by afternoon six Indonesian and two Malaysian transport planes had arrived. He said the military was making a plan to convey relief to distant camps. Representatives of nearby ones would be asked to come to the base to retrieve their own supplies. He gave no time frame. As he spoke, the first Australian C-130 began unloading its cargo. Group Capt. John Oddie of the Royal Air Force walked briskly to the apron, where he huddled briefly with Indonesian Maj. Gen. Bambang Darmono. Oddie told the general he was prepared to fly seven missions a day into the airfield carrying supplies for relief efforts. He offered a team of specialists and equipment to dramatically accelerate unloading planes, and a mobile hospital, medical staff and evacuation services. Darmono responded that he was not authorized to discuss the offer because his appointment as the military coordinator of regional relief efforts would not take effect for at least another day. He asked Oddie to return today. Oddie diplomatically agreed. "You'll see a lot more of us in the next few days," he told reporters. "You'll see a profound strength to the relief effort building over the next few days." *************************** (3) FROM PETER HUDIS, co-national organizer, News and Letters Committees: Thousands were killed by the event in Acheh, and one reason there is so much devastation there now is that the Indonesian government, with US consent, has for months prevented journalists, human rights organizations, and relief organizations from visiting or having offices in the area, because of its bloody war against the movement for self-determination in Acheh. That struggle is virtually ignored in the U.S. Left as well. Doesn't this disaster show that it is time for progressive movements in the U.S. to make solidarity with Acheh as high a level a priority as possible? The irony is that at the very moment when a good number of "progressives" find a million and one excuses for "solidarizing" with some of the neo-fascist Islamic fundamentalist militias that are terrorizing Iraqi workers and feminists, all because some of them for now "oppose the US occupation," there's dead silence on extending solidarity with common folk who want nothing more than to live in peace. Maybe there's a way we can break through this by generating some solidarity with Acheh on the ground. *************************** |
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