Sacks of rice aid for Rohingya refugees on the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh are ready to be loaded onto a Hercules cargo plane of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Wednesday (13/9). President Joko Widodo witnessed the departure that day of four TNI AU aircraft transporting 34 tons of humanitarian aid to Rohyingya refugees.
BANDA ACEH, KOMPAS — After a one-night stopover, Indonesian aid for Rakhine residents in Bangladesh was flown from Banda Aceh to Chittagong, Bangladesh, on Thursday (14/9). Indonesian Humanitarian Task Force commander First Marshal Nanang Santoso said the aid was transported via four Indonesian Air Force’s C-130 Hercules aircraft in two stages.
Two aircraft took off at 6 a.m., followed by two others three hours later. The delivery was made in two stages given the limited capacity of the Chittagong airport.
The delivery of the aid, which is Indonesia’s response to the crisis in Rakhine, was witnessed by President Joko Widodo at a modest ceremony on Wednesday at Halim Perdanakusumah airbase in Jakarta.
The aid consists of 900 food packages, 7,000 blankets, 20 tons of rice, 1 ton of sugar, 10 tents, 10 portable tanks of 500-galon capacity and hundreds of sanitation packages with a total weight of 34 tons.
The President said it was the first batch of aid for the Rakhine refugees at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. “This is the first batch. We will fly out the second, third and so on next week,” Jokowi said.
The President, who was accompanied by National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Willem Rampangilei, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Puan Maharani, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Indonesian Military chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo and Air Force chief of staff Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, witnessed the aid being uploaded into the aircraft.
“The goods are prioritized because the refugees need them most,” Retno said.
The use of the aircraft, the President said, would make the delivery of the aid faster.
Previously, on Dec. 29, 2016, the government delivered aid for the Rakhine people in Myanmar using containers from Tanjung Priok Port. The delivery by sea needed more time. With the aircraft, the aid is expected to arrive on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.
As reported earlier, many refugees arrived at the Bangladeshi border hungry, cold and with no shelter. The aid is expected to relieve their suffering.
The United Nations says more than 370,000 Rakhine people fled to Bangladesh, mostly to Cox’s Bazar and Kutupalong. But, Retno estimates that the number could reach 500,000 people because more refugees arrive each day.
The aid delivery is the result of marathon diplomacy from the Indonesian government and Myanmar and Bangladesh to jointly deal with the Rakhine crisis and its impacts. Both countries were prepared to give access to Indonesia.
In Chittagong, the aid will be received by Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Rina P Soemarno. It will be handed over to the local government. The aid will then be transported using trucks to the refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar. Junjunan Hutapea from BNPB said the team would erect an aid post at Cox’s Bazar.
Meanwhile, aid for Rakhine people in Myanmar will be delivered pending a list of goods and necessities outlined by the Myanmar government. Although Naypyidaw has opened up access for humanitarian aid from Jakarta, the government is still awaiting the list of goods needed.
The government has made preparations and is working with mass organizations, businesspeople and local administrations to help the Rakhine people. All aid will be collected and the government will send it under the “Indonesia” label.
On a separate occasion, when welcoming ulema from Central Java at the Merdeka Palace, the President said the Rakhine refugees did not need a strong statement. They needed concrete assistance to relieve their suffering from the conflict. Real action was needed by refugees, who now live at emergency refugee camps.
The President said Indonesia was actively involved in conflict resolution. The government did not want to see violence against civilian people. Aside from the diplomatic mission, the government has also sent humanitarian aid.
“We have built schools and early in October we will develop the biggest hospital in Rakhine state,” the President said.
