The focus of the delegation's work remained threefold: detainee-welfare activities, fostering knowledge of and compliance with humanitarian law and cooperation with the National Societies.

Visits to detainees

Once again, Jakarta-based delegates visited places of detention in various parts of Indonesia. Working in conjunction with the Indonesian Red Cross Society, they provided material and medical assistance where necessary, enabled detainees to contact or remain in touch with their next of kin and organized family visits to detainees being held far from their homes. The ICRC also followed up individual medical cases and in certain instances provided financial assistance for their hospitalization.

Though initially cleared by the authorities, visits to persons held at military bases in Aceh were suspended in March, when further access was denied. Other field work in the Aceh area also became impossible. As the period under review ended, no solution had yet been found despite numerous high-level meetings with government representatives.

Delegates collected and processed tracing requests, forwarded Red Cross messages and joined the Indonesian Red Cross in organizing a tracing/message service workshop attended by National Society employees from all over Sumatra.

Clashes in East Timor

Disturbances continued in East Timor - particularly in connection with the Indonesian elections in May - with attacks and clashes between rival groups of youths and between security forces and the armed opposition. Large-scale arrests ensued. The ICRC visited places of detention both as part of its six-monthly series of visits and on an ad hoc basis. It played the role of neutral intermediary and monitored respect for humanitarian law in a number of situations.

The ICRC/Indonesian Red Cross water and sanitation teams carried on their work, engaging in projects that ranged from the sinking of individual wells to the building of large distribution networks. National Society staff assisted by an expatriate health worker continued the programme of public health education and monitoring. Two mobile teams travelled throughout East Timor to promote prevention and adequate treatment of common but dangerous diseases, with positive results being noted in a number of areas. These infrastructure-development and health activities required a constant ICRC presence in remote parts of the territory. Staff took advantage of this presence to promote knowledge of humanitarian law among local people.

As Portugal had no diplomatic representation in Indonesia, the ICRC issued travel documents and made arrangements for the transfer to Portugal of East Timorese who had sought asylum in foreign embassies, former civil servants in the Portuguese colonial administration and a number of hardship cases. Delegates forwarded Red Cross messages between Timorese living in East Timor and relatives living elsewhere, and helped reunite Timorese families who had been separated by the situation.

Seminar for the Indonesian armed forces

The ICRC and the Indonesian armed forces organized the first-ever dissemination seminar for the Special Forces, at which 50 officers discussed humanitarian law and human rights with delegates and an outside expert. ICRC staff took part in a number of similar events organized by and in conjunction with the military and universities. These included sessions for personnel of the security services in East Timor. The ICRC dissemination delegate also addressed a symposium held by the Indonesian Red Cross for representatives of the nation's government, military and civil society.

Drought and skirmishes in Irian Jaya

In September, a joint ICRC/Indonesian Red Cross team surveyed a mountainous area of the troubled region of Irian Jaya hard hit both by drought associated with the El Niño weather pattern and by ongoing skirmishing between the OPM* and Indonesian security forces. The team found that the water shortage combined with the resulting crop failure had already produced malnutrition in one out of four residents in the areas surveyed and that many among the weakened population were falling victim to malaria and various infections. The ICRC and the National Society therefore launched a logistically challenging operation to assist the communities most vulnerable to the drought - isolated mountain villages - by improving access to food, safe drinking water and medical care. Delegates also visited detainees in a number of prisons in Irian Jaya.

Seminar for National Societies

In February, the ICRC, the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and the Singapore Red Cross Society held a two-day seminar in Singapore on promoting respect for humanitarian law and Red Cross/Red Crescent principles. The ICRC President and the Secretaries-General of nine National Societies from the ASEAN* region took part in the seminar.

An ICRC representative attended the second Asia/Pacific workshop for National Society information officers, held in Kuala Lumpur in April. In June, the Malaysian Red Crescent organized, in conjunction with the ICRC, a workshop on humanitarian law for National Society instructors.

Responsibility for ICRC activities in Myanmar was transferred to the Jakarta delegation from the New Delhi delegation at mid-year. Assistance for the war-disabled in Myanmar continued to be supervised on a regular basis by the ICRC's prosthetic/orthotic coordinator based in Cambodia.


IN 1997 THE ICRC:

- visited 69 detainees (19 of them for the first time) in 16 places of detention in Indonesia and 433 detainees (328 of them for the first time) being held in 51 places of detention in connection with the situation in East Timor;

- financed 95 family visits to 72 detainees;

- issued 38 travel documents;

- organized the transfer to Portugal of 38 East Timorese;

- forwarded 158 Red Cross messages in connection with East Timor;

- visited and assisted 13 drought-stricken villages in Irian Jaya, with a total population of some 8,000 people;

- carried out regular visits to promote health in 35 remote villages;

- harnessed 8 new sources of fresh water and maintained 7 existing water-supply systems in East Timor.


Notes:

* OPM: Organisasi Papua Merdeka, or Free Papua Movement

* ASEAN: Association of South-East Asian Nations