30,000 Timorese refugees vow to continue fighting<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Atambua, West Timor<\/p>\n
As East Timorese proclaimed their hard-fought independence at
\nmidnight on May 19 and changed the name of their country to Timor
\nLorosae, some 30,000 refugees originally hailing from the new
\ncountry opted to remain in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
They also vowed on Sunday to continue fighting for the former
\nPortuguese colony's integration into the Unitary Republic of
\nIndonesia, but failed to spell out how they would advance their
\ncause.<\/p>\n
"We in the refugee camps are proud to be East Timorese. We
\npray that East Timor will once again become part of Indonesia,"
\nTimor refugee Fransisco Gutteres told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Timor Lorosae achieved full independence at midnight on May
\n19, after more than 450 years of foreign rule, including 32
\nmonths under the United Nations Transitional Administration in
\nEast Timor (UNTAET). The ceremony was attended by a number of
\nheads of state, including President Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Timor Lorosae, Indonesia's 27th province for 24 years, voted
\nto break away in a United Nations-organized referendum in August
\n1999.<\/p>\n
Following the referendum, thousands of military-backed pro-
\nIndonesia militiamen went on a rampage, killing hundreds of pro-
\nindependence East Timorese, destroying up to 80 percent of the
\nterritory's infrastructure and forcing over 250,000 East Timorese
\ninto makeshift refugee camps in West Timor.<\/p>\n
The trials are now underway in Jakarta of 18 former civilian
\nofficials and military personnel believed to have been
\nresponsible for the bloodshed, while the number of East Timorese
\nstill living in West Timor now stands at around 30,000.<\/p>\n
"We feel neglected. As human beings, our rights have been
\ntrampled upon. We will show the world that we are civilized
\npeople," said Mario de Araujo, another Timorese refugee in
\nAtambua, West Timor.<\/p>\n
Joao Martins said they felt sidelined and treated as second-
\nclass citizens by the Timor Lorosae authorities as all political
\nprocesses in the territory had proceeded without the involvement
\nof the East Timorese in the refugee camps in West Timor and other
\nparts of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
"The election of the Constituent Council, the formation of the
\ntransitional government, the presidential election and the
\nsetting up of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had all
\nbeen done without the involvement of the East Timorese in the
\nrefugee camps," Joao said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for People's
\nWelfare Jusuf Kalla said in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on
\nSaturday that the government would give the Timorese refugees
\nuntil August to make up their minds about whether they wished to
\nbecome citizens of the new state or remain as Indonesians.<\/p>\n
"In August, we will repatriate those who want to return and
\nresettle those who want to stay in Indonesia," Kalla was quoted
\nby Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
Kalla also said that at least 26,000 refugees had signed up to
\nreturn to Timor Lorosae after the territory declared its
\nindependence.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/30000-timorese-refugees-vow-to-continue-fighting-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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