East Timorese refugees offered incentives<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang<\/p>\n
The government has offered money and rice as incentives for East
\nTimorese refugees who want to return to their homeland
\nimmediately in an attempt to help solve the refugee issue in East
\nNusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
\"Every refugee family who returns to East Timor under the
\nrepatriation program will receive Rp 500,000 (US$50) and a packet
\nof rice,\" Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Yusuf Kalla
\nsaid in a meeting with East Timorese refugees in their camps in
\nAtambua Regency on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Yusuf also said that both the Indonesian government and the UN
\nTransitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) would
\nguarantee their safety should they choose to return to East
\nTimor.<\/p>\n
He, however, said the government would not press the refugees
\nto go back to East Timor and they were free to determine their
\nown future whether they would stay in Indonesia or not.<\/p>\n
\"The government won't let the refugees stay any longer in
\ntheir camps because, besides causing financial burdens to the
\ngovernment, extending their stay in the region will cause social
\nproblems with the local people,\" he said.<\/p>\n
So far, around 141,000 East Timorese refugees who are still
\nliving in temporary shelters at several locations in the province
\nhave yet to choose whether to return to their homeland or to stay
\nin Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen. Willem T. da Costa, chief of Udayana Military
\nCommand supervising Bali, West and East Nusa Tenggara, said
\nsecurity authorities in the province would take tight measures
\nagainst a certain East Timorese group who were believed to have
\nlaunched a campaign of intimidation to prevent the refugees from
\ngoing back home.<\/p>\n
\"We will take strict action against those who intimidate
\nrefugees and force them to reject the government's repatriation
\nprogram,\" he said, adding that the group was led by Joao
\nBaptisda.<\/p>\n
Willem was accompanying the minister on a field tour of
\nrefugees camps in the province.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/east-timorese-refugees-offered-incentives-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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