Medan – The state government must do something to involve the Acehnese in its rebuilding and reconstruction programs, a group of activists said on Tuesday.

Speaking after a meeting in Medan, Naimah Hasan, the spokeswoman of the 12-group NGO coalition, said that the involvement of the Acehnese was a must if the programs were to best fit the needs of the people. Problems were already being caused because of a lack of coordination, she said.

The central government had already insisted it built refugee shelters further inland because it feared the return of tsunami, while many of the refugees would prefer shelters built near coastal areas where they could make a living as fishermen, she said.