TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsOutrage as govt blocks foreign disaster aid to Sumatra
In recent days, evacuees in Aceh have raised white flags along the streets in protest at what they describe as limited humanitarian assistance and delays in the government’s response.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
People gather under a tree to shelter from the rain following a flash flood in Aceh Tamiang, Aceh, on Dec. 16, 2025. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
F
rustration and criticism are mounting over the central government’s refusal to declare a national emergency following devastating floods in Sumatra and its blocking of international aid entering the country.
As recovery efforts continue to overwhelm local administrations’ capacities, regional leaders in the hardest-hit areas have been placed in a difficult position, forced to turn away offers of assistance from overseas while humanitarian support remains limited for more than 1 million people affected by the floods.
On Thursday, the Medan city administration in North Sumatra returned 30 tonnes of rice and 300 packages of staple foods, baby products and prayer kits from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following “guidance” from the central government.
The aid had been handed over to Medan Mayor Rico Tri Putra Bayu Waas on Dec. 13 by Shaima Alhebsi, deputy head of mission at the UAE Embassy in Indonesia.
Rico said the decision was made after consultation with the Defense Ministry and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
“After coordinating with the central government and reviewing the prevailing regulations, we decided to return the aid, as the Indonesian government does not currently accept assistance from foreign governments,” Rico Waas said on Thursday.
The decision immediately drew criticism, with Medan Legislative Council (DPRD) Speaker Wong Chun Sen calling it “embarrassing” and warning that it could harm relations with the UAE and discourage future donations.
