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Govt distributes aid to conflict-hit residents of Papua
The Social Affairs Ministry channeled aid worth Rp 750 million (US$53,160) to evacuees in the form of staple food, cooking utensils, school supplies and toys for toddlers, among other things.
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Students from Nduga, Papua, study in a temporary shelter in Wamena. (Courtesy of Ence Geong/-)
T
he government has begun providing evacuees in Papua with basic needs and medical assistance after receiving a report that some 139 civilians had reportedly died in shelters because of starvation and poor living conditions. The local security authorities dismissed the report about the deaths, saying that it was "not true".
According to a civil society coalition, the deceased individuals were among thousands of people who escaped Nduga regency in Papua amid the ongoing conflict between the military and an armed group linked to the Free Papua Movement (OPM) in the region.
In response to the report, the Social Affairs Ministry channeled aid worth Rp 750 million (US$53,160) to the evacuees in the form of staple food, cooking utensils, school supplies and toys for toddlers, among other things.
The ministry stated that it was ready to provide additional aid to the conflict-hit residents if necessary.
“I am responsible for that matter,” Social Affairs Minister Agung Gumiwang said over the weekend.
Agung had specifically ordered the ministry’s director general for social security and protection, Harry Hikmat, to visit the shelters to make sure that the assistance was properly channeled to the evacuees.
The institution had also assigned a psycho-social support team to help residents cope with trauma from the conflict related to the PT Istaka Karya incident.
