Concerns raised over allocation of aid in Aceh
More than six months since the tsunami devastated massive areas of coastal South-East Asia, there are still concerns that the political situation in Aceh is affecting the distribution of aid. Hundreds of thousands of Acehnese are still lacking adequate food and shelter. It is claimed that the Indonesian Military (the TNI) is blocking the allocation of aid to individuals and groups connected with GAM (the Free Aceh Movement) and that human rights are being abused in the process. Amnesty International and AID/WATCH, an agency that monitors the delivery of overseas aid, have both stressed that the distribution of aid should be non-discriminatory. They also emphasise that populations displaced by the tsunami should not be forcefully relocated to serve political interests. Sarah Greenlees spoke to Nurdin Abdul Rahman from the Acehnese community of Australia. Mr Rahman has been a dedicated campaigner for human rights in Aceh since his release in 1998 from eleven and a half years of torture and imprisonment without trial. Sarah asked him to describe the conditions currently experienced by people in the tsunami-affected regions of Aceh.