East Timorese dying in NTT refugee camps<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Over 400 East Timorese who fled their violence-
\nravaged homeland following the Aug. 30 self-determination ballot
\nhave died from various diseases in their refugee camps throughout
\nWest Timor in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Antara quoted the latest data issued by the East Nusa Tenggara
\nadministration on Tuesday, which revealed that 310 of the victims
\nwere children, 262 below five years of age. Adults made up 185 of
\nthe mortalities.<\/p>\n
There were no details about the diseases which caused the
\ndeaths.<\/p>\n
A recent joint study conducted by the United Nations
\nChildren's Fund (Unicef) and the Indonesian government revealed
\nthat 24 percent of the children in the Belu refugee centers were
\nmalnourished.<\/p>\n
The research team recommended that the government provide
\nsupplementary food for children. Supplemental food has thus far
\nbeen restricted to youths and adults.<\/p>\n
Most of the deaths, 236, were found in Kupang regency,
\nfollowed by Belu regency, which abuts East Timor, with 177. Other
\ndeaths were reported in Kupang mayoralty, North Timor Utara and
\nSouth Timor Utara regencies, at a figure of below 20 each.<\/p>\n
All the province's 12 mayoralties and regencies have become
\nhome to some 270,000 East Timorese since the violence erupted in
\nEast Timor in September of last year.<\/p>\n
The province's disaster handling unit reported that 79,324
\nrefugees of 15,493 families were repatriated as of Jan. 10. It
\nsaid the remaining East Timorese had yet to decide whether to
\nfollow suit or to remain part of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The government has set the March 31 deadline for the displaced
\nEast Timorese to choose their nationality.<\/p>\n
The province's official in charge of social affairs, John
\nPayong Beda, said the local administration would refresh the data
\non refugees in order to determine further policies regarding the
\nrefugees.<\/p>\n
\"We will inform them that the government will stop the
\nemergency humanitarian aid for them at the end of February,\" John
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The government allocated Rp 20 million for each refugee in the
\ncurrent fiscal year ending March 31. Coordinating minister for
\npeople's welfare and poverty eradication Basri Hasanuddin said
\nthat the government lacks the funds to continue the humanitarian
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
From Atambua, the capital of Belu, Unicef representative Gorys
\nFerdinand said his organization, in cooperation with related
\ngovernment agencies and churches in East Timor, had built tens of
\nschools in nearby refugee camps in West Timor for at least 3,000
\ndisplaced children of school age.<\/p>\n
Gorys said Unicef would recruit veteran teachers among the
\nrefugee population to staff the schools.<\/p>\n
The project is part of Unicef's education assistance program
\nfor children in West Timor, which will cost Rp 3 billion. The
\nprogram will last six months, starting from January. (amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/east-timorese-dying-in-ntt-refugee-camps-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}