Sea Tribe Suffering: Riau, Sumatra

Even after moving to land, the Suku Laut sea tribe of Air Mas Island in Batam, Riau Island province, has not escaped a life of poverty. Dozens of the tribe’s families remain poor and uneducated, and officials and other residents consider them a backward people.

Some tribe members say the government has failed to make efforts to educate them, and help them live independently and according to social norms on land.

There are a large number of children in each Suku Laut family; one family in the tribe has 14 children.

A Suku Laut tribal chief at the Air Mas settlement, Muhammad Din, 62, said the families started moving to the island in 2002, with assistance from various agencies and non-governmental organizations that provided them with permanent wooden homes.

Din said their lives had not changed much since moving to land. The income they earn from fishing is still far from sufficient, so too is their children’s education.

Din acknowledged that he did not pay much attention to his children’s education due to limited resources.

“I sometimes earn only Rp 20,000 (US$2.20) a day. Thankfully, my children will eat whatever food is laid on the table,” he said.

The father of 14 said facilities on the island were limited and far from expectations, despite its close proximity with Batam, which is known as an industrial city.

He said his tribespeople had a habit of asking visitors to the island for money.

“But, they seem to be growing out of this habit, since TV stations have been paying them to film their daily activities.”

His fellow tribesmen and women, he said, are willing to act out their everyday lives — such as cooking activities, bathing and sleeping on their boats — depending on the amount they are paid.

“It all depends on how much the TV stations are willing to pay.”

However, Din says this role as accidental “actors” has not provided long-term improvements to the lives of the people in the tribe, as most of the money they earn from their filming is immediately spent.

There is no furniture in Din’s house. A piece of mat covers the floor of the guest room. Only a kerosene stove and a few plates and glasses can be seen in the kitchen, with no table to place them on.

“There are too many things I must think of. I sometimes even forget my own children’s names,” said Din, taking a long drag on a clove cigarette.

Din’s children must travel to another island to attend school.

Transportation is limited and motorboats are seldom used due to the high cost of fuel.

The island also lacks a community health center or clinic.

When members of the Batam municipality council visited the island on May 31, they were greeted by ramshackle houses built for the Suku Laut tribe at a cost of Rp 1.8 billion from the 2006 provincial budget.

Houses occupied by the Suku Laut were not equipped with doors and windows, thus requiring residents to cover open areas with plastic sheeting.

The council’s deputy speaker, Aris Hardy Halim, who was on the visit, expressed concerns over the condition of the houses, which had been built by the Batam municipality.

“Why do these houses have no doors and windows, despite the fact these items were included in the budget?” Aris asked. He said his office received a report from the tribe saying their houses had not been equipped with fixtures due to difficulties in obtaining the materials from Batam.

“We regret this situation and will endeavor to sort it out.”

Fadli