Indonesia's humanitarian mission to Haiti was forced to make a u-turn before reaching its destination after failing to secure a permit to land in the quake-torn Caribbean nation.
"The mission decided to unload the aid in the Dominican Republic and hand it to the UN's World Food Program," said Priyadi Kardono, head of information and data for the National Disaster Management Body.
They arrived in Jakarta from Santo Domingo on Friday night.
The mission that consists of surgeons, paramedics and search-and-rescue personnel departed from Jakarta on Monday and made a transit stop in Honolulu, Hawaii, where they were told by local authorities they could not reach Haiti sooner than Feb. 7 since the local airport was overflowing.
The mission had earlier postponed its Jan. 15 departure until Monday as it failed to acquire permission from US officials to land in Honolulu.
"We have tried to go there and give the aid ourselves," the head of the mission, Lt. Col. Eko Margiyono, said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said he could not confirm if the aid had been distributed to the quake victims, but added that "our diplomatic mission in New York will monitor it".
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Santo Domingo, paramedics are still needed in Haiti, where a 7.0 magnitude earthquake killed more than 100,000 people and displaced millions.
Eko, however, decided to call off the mission as there is no assurance they will get enough fuel and water at Port-au-Prince should they make the land journey there.
It was also unclear how long they should wait for a permit to enter Haiti in Santo Domingo, which has no diplomatic relations with Jakarta.
He also said it was too risky to take the land journey to Haiti, which has seen an increasing crime rate since the quake.
"The world has recorded Indonesia as among those who helped disaster victims overseas just like other countries that helped Indonesia when it was struck by disasters. This is part of our solidarity," National Disaster Relief Agency (BNPB) head Syamsul Ma'arif told the arriving volunteers.
Meanwhile, three Indonesian migrant workers who survived the quake will be evacuated to Hawaii, according to Faizasyah.
They are Ni Luh Made Juini, Ni Ketut Yasri Astiti and I Gusti Ayu Putu Sukerti.
Another two Indonesians who survived the catastrophe in Haiti, Endang Satriyani and Yogi Anggoro of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah), are involved in relief efforts there.
