Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Representatives of displaced Shia adherents from Sampang, East Java, met with presidential advisor on human rights Albert Hasibuan on Wednesday to convey their grievances after being "abandoned" by the Sampang regental administration at a poorly equipped shelter.
"The displaced persons from the Sampang brawl are currently in very poor condition. Access to basic needs such as clean water is very difficult. They have been neglected for months and their condition continues to worsen," Mujtahid Hashemy, an activist from the Universalia Legal Aid Foundation who served as the spokesman of the Sampang group, told journalists after meeting with Albert. "We really hope that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will take immediate action," he added.
Albert said he deeply regretted the situation while vowing to tell Yudhoyono about the situation in the near future.
"I will recommend to the President that this situation be dealt with. We need to focus on the humanity side rather than debating the differences in faith, because the displaced people have suffered for about six months," he said.
"According to reports that I have received, the negligence and abandonment of the displaced can be deemed a violation of human rights," Albert, a former member of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), added.
Sampang Shia leaders previously said that the local government in Sampang had cut off supplies in late December, forcing the victims to depend heavily on private donors to help them pay for food and medical supplies.
Shia cleric Iklil Al Milal said that some of the victims had respiratory problems because of poor sanitation in the sports stadium in Sampang where they had been sheltering since a mob burned down their homes in Karang Gayam village last August. "One of us is suffering from dengue, while others, especially toddlers, are struggling to cope with the wet season," he said.
The Shia followers were forced to leave their village following an attack by fellow village activists labeled "intolerant groups".
According to Universalia, one of the groups that has provided legal assistance to the Sampang Shiites, there are at least 165 people sheltering in the sports center, including 29 children.
The group also reported that the East Java Police had withdrawn officers deployed to protect the displaced Shiites since Jan. 1.
"The government must be active in providing mediation to settle disputes. Officials, including the police, also have the responsibility to provide basic services to all citizens," Albert said, adding that the police must guarantee the community's safety.