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Around 1,200 Gafatar followers arrive in Semarang on Wednesday evening
Starting a new life: Members of the Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar) walk on the quay of Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday evening
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span class="caption">Starting a new life: Members of the Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar) walk on the quay of Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday evening. Departing from Pontianak, West Kalimantan on passenger vessel Dharma Ferry 2, as many as 1,281 followers arrived at the port at around 7 p.m. local time. They will be temporarily accommodated at the Donohudan Haj dormitory in Boyolali before returning to their hometowns. (thejakartapost.com/Suherdjoko)
As many as 1,281 followers of the Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar), which has been linked to recent missing person cases, arrived at Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang , Central Java, on Wednesday evening.
They arrived on passenger vessel Dharma Ferry 2, which departed from Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and docked at the Semarang port at around 7 p.m. local time.
They are the second batch of Gafatar followers to arrive in Semarang after the arrival of 351 on Monday.
The 1,281 followers will be temporarily accommodated at the arrival terminal of the port before they are transferred to the Donohudan Haj dormitory in Boyolali. They will be provided with healthcare services, meals and psychological counseling. Many family members are under 5 years old.
As many as 975 personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) helped secure the arrival of the Gafatar followers.
Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said the administration was ready to provide assistance to the Gafatar followers.
'We can work together to resolve their problems. If they need skills, we can help them. We can assess what they need [to survive], such as financial capital for trading or farming,' said Ganjar.
Separately, Central Java Deputy Governor Heru Sudjatmiko said all Gafatar followers would be temporarily accommodated in the haj dormitory.
'They may stay there for five days while we find solutions for them. There needs to be cooperation with local administrations,' said Heru.
A psychologist from the University of Diponegoro, Hastaning Sakti, said children of the Gafatar followers needed trauma counseling.
'They have been moving from one area to another area. After moving from Java to Kalimantan, their parents began to build new settlements but these children didn't go to school. And now, they have to move again to Java. They need trauma counseling and whether they are successful depends on the assistance provided and the conduciveness of the environment where they are living,' said Hastaning.
'In the haj dormitory, they should be provided with emergency schools. The children need activity to heal,' she added. (ebf)
