At least 300 families live in an isolated area in Riau Islands province, with no access to social services or other communities.
These people are the Suku Laut, or sea tribe, who spend most of their days on board canoes.
The provincial administration claims it needs huge funds and require three years to empower the tribal people, get them close to other local communities and allow them access to social services.
Provincial social affairs office head Benny Kusumayadi said Friday around 100 of the 300 isolated tribal families can be found in the waters off Ligga regency, 80 off Karimun regency and 120 off Galang Island, close to the industrial zone of Batam Island.
"A team from our office is conducting a survey to find an appropriate location to integrate them with the common public," he told The Jakarta Post.
"We need a lot of money to end their isolation from other communities and grant them access to social services."
Benny added the Suku Laut population initially numbered between 1,000 and 1,500 families, spread out over waters considered relatively calm for them to live on board canoes.
Efforts to empower the tribe and integrate them with other communities have involved several NGOs, including foreign ones, and have been ongoing since before Riau Islands separated from Riau province.
"Those already integrated with local communities now live on Air Mas Island, Batam and other areas. They are no longer isolated, as they mingle with and carry out daily activities with members of other tribes. They have stopped living on board canoes," Benny said.
He added his office had in 2006 allocated Rp 300 million a year in a special fund to empower economically and socially around 100 Suku Laut families.
These empowered families have now been resettled in Sungai Ayam village, Kundur district, Karimun regency.
"The fund for the empowerment of the Suku Laut people was provided by the Social Services Ministry," Benny said.
"Money from the local administration was used only to cover administrative expenses. The local social affairs office never allocated any funds to direct deal with this issue."
Benny added his office took a three-step approach to getting the tribal families out of isolation: building their communities on land, empowering them socially, and resettling them in areas with access to public services.
This process is conducted over the course of three years, he added.
To deal with the remaining 300 families from this isolated tribe, the Riau Islands provincial administration has proposed the government provide around Rp 1 billion to Rp 2 billion a year for the resettling program.
