Former East Timor refugees camp in Bali<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Denpasar<\/p>\n
Around 300 former refugees of Balinese descent stayed overnight
\nin tents at Niti Mandala square in front of the Bali governor's
\noffice on Tuesday, demanding compensation for their property
\nabandoned in 1999 when East Timor broke away from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Protest coordinator Komang Sakrana Budi, 33, said most of
\nthose who had migrated to East Timor in 1982 wished to be
\ncompensated to the tune of Rp 50 million (US$6,000) per family.<\/p>\n
\"We have long complied with bureaucratic procedures, but we
\nwere always sent from one office to another without ever being
\npaid,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators vowed to remain for a week. They were seen
\nerecting five large plastic tents sufficient to accommodate 20
\npeople each. Among them were toddlers and the elderly.<\/p>\n
Because of the limited capacity of the tents, the Balinese
\nprotesters were not well sheltered from torrential rains that had
\npoured in Denpasar since Monday night.<\/p>\n
They were earlier invited to a meeting that became deadlocked
\nso they eventually decided to continue with their protest rally.
\nA representative was even asked to go to Jakarta to get an
\nassurance on the matter, but they rejected the offer.<\/p>\n
\"We refuse to meet the governor. We want him to come to us
\nhere and talk,\" said Komang.<\/p>\n
As of Tuesday evening, the governor had not left his office to
\nmeet the protesters, who hail from nine regencies across Bali.<\/p>\n
Minor tension occurred when public order officers from the
\nDenpasar municipal administration, headed by Nyoman Brandi, tried
\nto disperse the crowd.<\/p>\n
Brandi said that the former East Timor refugees had violated
\nBylaw No. 3\/2000 on peace and public order, asking them to remove
\ntheir tents from the square.<\/p>\n
But after arguing with Komang, the security officers gave up
\nand reported the latest situation to their superiors while
\nawaiting further instructions.<\/p>\n
\"We're just doing our job. The important thing right now is
\nthat we have told them that it is wrong to establish tents there.
\nIf they ignore it, that's their own problem,\" warned Brandi.<\/p>\n
But he added that there would be a possibility of physical
\nengagement if they were ordered to drive away the protesters
\nforcibly, as the protesters admitted they were prepared in the
\nevent of a clash.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators had with them supplies of sacks of rice,
\ncartons of instant noodles and mineral water sufficient to last a
\nweek. Some were seen buying kitchen utensils such as pots, stoves
\nand pans.<\/p>\n
Their only problem was potable water for cooking. They once
\nasked for water from employees of the governor's office but were
\ngiven only two pailsful.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/former-east-timor-refugees-camp-in-bali-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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