Jakarta (Antara) – About 200,000 Indonesians are still taking refuge in a number of areas across the country due to social conflicts, a minister said on Friday.

"Actually, the government has prepared to resettle the refugees of certain areas and Rp 750,000 in cash for each refugee family," Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah was quoted by Antara as saying.

Hopefully, no citizens would be claiming refuge by August this year, when all 200,000 refugees would be returned to their homes or were resettled in predetermined locations, he said.

The social affairs ministry spent Rp 1.5 trillion in returning 1.2 million refugees to their hometowns last year.

He said the refugees, particularly those from the conflict-torn areas of Poso and Ambon, had wanted to return to their hometowns, because the warring camps had agreed to end their conflict.