Ministry of Social Affairs Distributes IDR 458 Million Aid to Lembantongoa Residents

Ministry of Social Affairs Distributes IDR 458 Million Aid to Lembantongoa Residents
Writer :
Direktorat PSKBS
Editor :
Alek Triyono; Annisa YH
Translator :
Intan Qonita N

SIGI (December 3, 2020) - The government through the Ministry of Social Affairs distributed social assistance for the humanitarian tragedy that occurred in Lembantongoa Village, Palolo District, Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi Province worth IDR 458,426,000.

The assistance consisted of compensation for heirs for the deceased as many as 4 people worth Rp15 million per person, food packages, children's play equipment packages, children's study packages, hand sanitizer, masks, soap, and worship equipment packages.

The aid was symbolically handed over by the Director of Social Protection for Social Disaster Victims (PSKBS) of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Sunarti, Thursday (3/12).

Representing the Minister of Social Affairs, Sunarti expressed her concern over the humanitarian tragedy that occurred in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that hit Indonesia.

Sunarti asked the residents of Lembantongoa Village not to be provoked by misleading issues in the community because it could cause horizontal conflicts.

"Entrust this handling to the security forces. The government is committed to showing its presence and concern for the security and comfort of the residents," added Sunarti.

In addition to the symbolic handing over of social assistance, the Ministry of Social Affairs also provides Psychosocial Support Services (LDP) for survivors who have survived the humanitarian tragedy, namely by using the Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR) technique.

"This is done with the aim of making survivors feel relaxed so that their minds can be refreshed," she explained.

To prevent the incident from happening again, said Sunarti, the government invites religious leaders, local community leaders and representatives from the Salvation Army Church and the Indonesian Pentecostal Churches Association (PGPI) to express their commitment to upholding the unity and integrity of the Indonesian nation.

"We must place unity and integrity above all else, and believe that the humanitarian tragedy that occurred is not an element of religion, but is purely an act of terror that aims to divide the integrity of society in general," she continued.

Sunarti explained that the handling of terror acts must be carried out in an integrated manner, including the availability of infrastructure facilities, to accelerate the delivery of assistance to local residents.

Also present at the handover were Regional Government Organizations of Central Sulawesi Province, Sigi Regency Government, including the Head of the Social Office of Central Sulawesi Province, Ridwan Mumu, Secretary of the Sigi Regency Social Office, Sabarudin, Head of the National and Political Unity Agency of Central Sulawesi Province and Sigi Regency, Head of Palolo District, as well as the Village Head of Lembantongoa.

As is known, the bloody incident that killed one family in Lembantongoa Village, Palolo District, Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi was a social disaster of crime and terror.

The murder case that killed four people had caused local residents to be afraid, then they fled to the forest to hide. After the incident, 150 heads of families (KK) in the village were now evacuated to anticipate other unwanted things.

The Head of Lembantongoa Village, Palolo District, Sigi Regency, Deki Basalulu, Friday (4/12), admitted that he was happy to receive assistance from the Ministry of Social Affairs in the form of goods/materials and money, including assistance from various parties which is still flowing to this day. The aid was distributed to the families of the victims and residents who fled after the terrorist attack in Lewono Hamlet, one of the locations for local transmigration settlements in the village.

He said there were four victims who were brutally killed by terrorists. They are one family.

According to the Head of Deki Village, assistance, especially logistics for food, is still very much needed by the residents because within a few days after the terrorist attack which claimed the lives of four people, most of the residents were not active in the garden due to severe trauma.

He added that in the evening after the incident, the residents of SP-1 Tokelemo Hamlet transmigration chose to gather in one place and would return home the next day.

Currently, the houses of the Lewono transmigration residents who were damaged and burned are in the middle of being rebuilt by the police and members of the TNI.
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