"This is an emergency, a very urgent issue that must be addressed quickly. These children are living in a very non-conducive situation that can adversely affect their psychological development," commission chairman Seto Mulyadi was quoted Saturday by The Jakarta Post newspaper as saying.

He explained that the children, estimated to account for around 30 percent of the some 600,000 refugees, were living in makeshift camps where dead bodies were a common sight and surrounding areas were filthy.

"Sanitation facilities are also unpleasant, clean water is still difficult to get. These children must be put in a place where they can go back to their world ... a fun world of play.

It is not a problem even if the new place is a bit far from their current place. Reunification with families and going back totheir old place can follow after the situation becomes more conducive," Seto added.

He also said that the surviving children lacked good nutrition as they have been consuming food that did not have sufficient nutrients, which are essential for children's growth.

The need for the immediate relocation of children, Seto added, was also urgent considering that aftershocks were still occurring and there was frequent gunfire between the military and the Free Aceh Movement rebels around the refugee camps.

Other issues that need to be resolved are emergency education and dissemination of information about their missing relatives.

"These children need a specific type of education that incorporates the affective side rather than the cognitive. Not toomuch homework or examinations, but rather teaching through images and analogies," he suggested.

In terms of the possibility of child trafficking, Seto observed that the chances were quite wide open as control and monitoring atexisting refugee camps were lax.

"The protection of children is relatively weak there. The situation gets worse as data collection of refugees, including children, remains unclear. In this kind of situation, children canbe so frustrated that they are easily influenced when someone promises a better place to live," he said.

He said that to help prevent child trafficking, the government must impose a strict ruling that no Acehnese children can travel outside the province for the time being.