Red tape ties up aid delivery to Aceh
Pauline PuahPublished: Jan 4, 2005 8:56 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
About 1,000 truck-loads of emergency supplies donated to tsunami victims in Aceh are stuck at Medan airport because of red tape, according to a volunteer who has been trying to get clearance for a consignment he took in.
About 1,000 truck-loads of emergency supplies donated to tsunami victims in Aceh are stuck at Medan airport because of red tape, according to a volunteer who has been trying to get clearance for a consignment he took in.
Lukman Age, a third-year political science student at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), said in a telephone interview yesterday that he has been waiting for two days to get clearance, as several official procedures have to be met in delivering the aid.
"I paid five million rupiah (about US$540) for a lorry. A friend who tried to help other people to move the goods from the airport, using his three lorries, has been turned away by government officials, who are asking for submission of many documents," he said.
Lukman, an Acehnese, is now in Medan waiting for approval to send on the food, clothes and money collected in USM.
He also pointed out that some in Medan are taking advantage of the acute situation to make profits.
"A flight ticket from Medan to Aceh normally costs about 360,000 rupiah (US$39), but now it has been increased to 700,000 rupiah (US$76)," he said.
Lukman also claimed that instant noodles meant for distribution to starving victims are being sold at 500 rupiah (US$5.4) per pack.
There are also many organisations collecting donations.
"We don't know how genuine they are. I think some of them are street boys who have been begging in Medan," he said.
Distribution network
Red Crescent Indonesia (RCI) president Dr H Basuki Supartono said an effective distribution network is urgently needed for aid to reach survivors.
"We need more vehicles and must have a better distribution network. We still see a lot of corpses on the streets (of Banda Aceh), " he said when contacted yesterday.
Medical facilities are immediately needed as four out of the six hospitals in Aceh have been destroyed by the tsunami, which hit on Dec 26. Sumatra was closest to the epicentre of the disaster, which has affected 11 other countries in Asia and Africa.
Basuki said most of the medical personnel in Aceh died in the catastrophe, which has taken close to 80,000 lives in Indonesia alone. Supplies of clean water are urgently required by survivors.
Medical relief organisation Malaysia Healing Across Borders (Mercy) chief operating officer Shareen Shariza Abdul Ghani agreed that there are major logistical difficulties in Aceh, due to near-total destruction of the infrastructure.
"We have carried medical supplies with us on our missions to Aceh, so we don't face such problems. Our first team carried about 300kg of medicine when they flew from Medan to Banda Aceh," she said.
She said Mercy has deployed 20 doctors in three teams that are now stationed in a military hospital.
"They are all safe as they are living in the compound of the hospital. I can't speak for other areas as I am not there," she said.
Indonesian Embassy information head Budhi Rahahdjo admitted in Kuala Lumpur that there have been problems in distributing relief items to the worst-hit areas of Aceh.
"Yes, our problem is distribution. But if you would like to know the actual situation and problems, you should ask your colleagues (journalists) who are there. We don't know as we are not there," he said when contacted today.
Medical relief
PAS medical relief team leader to Aceh Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad described the situation as hari kiamat (doomsday).
"People were running around aimlessly, looking for their loved ones. Some of them were naked but they didn't care," he said in an interview on his return on Sunday.
The team, which returned today, comprised five doctors who have had experience providing medical services in Afghanistan and during the earthquake in Iran. They have been in Aceh since Dec 28.
Syed Azman said he saw thousands of corpses on the streets, and that aftershocks from the seabed earthquake could be felt at least six times a day.
'We never have seen such massive destruction, even in Afghanistan and Iran. All of us were shocked. We couldn't help but cry on seeing the scale of the disaster," he added.
A second medical team of 11 doctors sponsored by PAS will leave for Aceh in the next two days.
Lukman Age, a third-year political science student at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), said in a telephone interview yesterday that he has been waiting for two days to get clearance, as several official procedures have to be met in delivering the aid.
"I paid five million rupiah (about US$540) for a lorry. A friend who tried to help other people to move the goods from the airport, using his three lorries, has been turned away by government officials, who are asking for submission of many documents," he said.
Lukman, an Acehnese, is now in Medan waiting for approval to send on the food, clothes and money collected in USM. He also pointed out that some in Medan are taking advantage of the acute situation to make profits.
"A flight ticket from Medan to Aceh normally costs about 360,000 rupiah (US$39), but now it has been increased to 700,000 rupiah (US$76)," he said.
Lukman also claimed that instant noodles meant for distribution to starving victims are being sold at 500 rupiah (US$5.4) per pack.
There are also many organisations collecting donations.
"We don't know how genuine they are. I think some of them are street boys who have been begging in Medan," he said.
Distribution network
Red Crescent Indonesia (RCI) president Dr H Basuki Supartono said an effective distribution network is urgently needed for aid to reach survivors.
"We need more vehicles and must have a better distribution network. We still see a lot of corpses on the streets (of Banda Aceh), " he said when contacted yesterday.
Medical facilities are immediately needed as four out of the six hospitals in Aceh have been destroyed by the tsunami, which hit on Dec 26. Sumatra was closest to the epicentre of the disaster, which has affected 11 other countries in Asia and Africa.
Basuki said most of the medical personnel in Aceh died in the catastrophe, which has taken close to 80,000 lives in Indonesia alone. Supplies of clean water are urgently required by survivors.
Medical relief organisation Malaysia Healing Across Borders (Mercy) chief operating officer Shareen Shariza Abdul Ghani agreed that there are major logistical difficulties in Aceh, due to near-total destruction of the infrastructure.
"We have carried medical supplies with us on our missions to Aceh, so we don't face such problems. Our first team carried about 300kg of medicine when they flew from Medan to Banda Aceh," she said.
She said Mercy has deployed 20 doctors in three teams that are now stationed in a military hospital. "They are all safe as they are living in the compound of the hospital. I can't speak for other areas as I am not there," she said.
Indonesian Embassy information head Budhi Rahahdjo admitted in Kuala Lumpur that there have been problems in distributing relief items to the worst-hit areas of Aceh.
"Yes, our problem is distribution. But if you would like to know the actual situation and problems, you should ask your colleagues (journalists) who are there. We don't know as we are not there," he said when contacted today.
Medical relief
PAS medical relief team leader to Aceh Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad described the situation as hari kiamat (doomsday).
"People were running around aimlessly, looking for their loved ones. Some of them were naked but they didn't care," he said in an interview on his return on Sunday. The team, which returned today, comprised five doctors who have had experience providing medical services in Afghanistan and during the earthquake in Iran. They have been in Aceh since Dec 28.
Syed Azman said he saw thousands of corpses on the streets, and that aftershocks from the seabed earthquake could be felt at least six times a day.
'We never have seen such massive destruction, even in Afghanistan and Iran. All of us were shocked. We couldn't help but cry on seeing the scale of the disaster," he added.
A second medical team of 11 doctors sponsored by PAS will leave for Aceh in the next two days.
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