Government braces to help 100,000 refugees<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government is bracing for the impact of an
\nexpected 100,000 refugees from the devastated East Timor.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty
\nEradication Haryono Suyono said on Friday over 90,000 people had
\nfled the territory, taking shelter mostly in the East Nusa
\nTenggara towns of Atambua and Kupang.<\/p>\n
Some 25,000 more people are waiting to be evacuated, including
\n10,000 people who are standing by at Komoro Airport in Dili, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Education is also set to pull out 2,000
\nteachers and 1,000 staff members from the volatile territory, and
\nthe Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Transmigration will
\nfollow suit, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian government is providing humanitarian
\nassistance for displaced people inside or outside of East Timor,
\nand will help them find new homes in the country,\" Haryono said
\nafter meeting with President B.J. Habibie at the State Palace.<\/p>\n
Minister of Agriculture Soleh Solahuddin, Minister of
\nTransmigration Hendropriyono and National Development Planning
\nBoard chairman Budiono also attended the meeting, which focused
\non delivering humanitarian aid to the refugees.<\/p>\n
Haryono said all refugees were being treated equally as
\nIndonesian citizens.<\/p>\n
\"They remain Indonesian citizens, but if they want to return
\nto their homeland someday we won't prevent them,\" Haryono said.<\/p>\n
Haryono will lead a team of Cabinet ministers to East Timor in
\nthe next couple of days to assess evacuation arrangements.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people in Dili are sheltering at the provincial
\npolice headquarters, the gubernatorial office, the town's port
\nand the headquarters of the Aitarak militia.<\/p>\n
Antara news agency reported that the main road in Bobonaro,
\nthe gateway to Atambua, was choked on Thursday night. Dozens of
\ntrucks, cars and vans were seen lining up to cross the border. A
\nnumber of vehicles skidded off the road, failing to navigate the
\nsharp bends of the mountain road that leads to the border.<\/p>\n
Security has been beefed up along the border after a refugee
\nwas allegedly shot dead by a proautonomy supporter in Atambua on
\nThursday. West Timor Military chief Col. Jurefar said troops
\nwould be deployed to the town to prevent similar incidents.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, ships carrying refugees docked at ports in Kupang,
\nAtapupu and Kalabahi in West Timor, as well as ports in the
\nnearby islands of Wetar and Kisar. Twenty-six vessels from the
\nIndonesian Navy have transported 11,600 refugees from East Timor
\nsince Monday. The commander of the Eastern Fleet, Rear Adm.
\nFreddy Manengkei, said his ships were expecting to transport
\nanother 30,000 people out of East Timor.<\/p>\n
In a release issued on Friday, the International Committee of
\nthe Red Cross conveyed its grave concern about the health of the
\nrefugees.<\/p>\n
\"The tired looking people are accommodated at bus terminals,
\nstadiums and school buildings. They sleep in the open air,\" it
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The committee plans to distribute mats, cooking utensils,
\ntoothbrushes, soap and plastic goods for the refugees, according
\nto the release. It also said it was ready to provide food, clean
\nwater and medical necessities, including medicines and medical
\ntools.<\/p>\n
In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, some 250 people fleeing East
\nTimor arrived at Makassar port on Friday. They were greeted by
\nrelatives who had been waiting for them since the violence
\nexploded following the announcement of the results of the Aug. 30
\ndirect ballot.<\/p>\n
International aid<\/p>\n
Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander\/Minister of Defense and
\nSecurity Gen. Wiranto said the military would assist institutions
\nand international agencies in delivering humanitarian aid to East
\nTimor.<\/p>\n
Speaking after meeting with the UN Security Council mission,
\nWiranto said troops would be deployed to protect aid deliveries.<\/p>\n
Wiranto's statement followed a number of calls for Indonesia
\nto establish a security cordon to allow immediate humanitarian
\naid to enter the beleaguered territory.<\/p>\n
Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy was among the world
\nleaders to make this request.<\/p>\n
\"We will be talking to the Indonesian authorities to get an
\nagreement on a security cordon so that the humanitarian groups
\ncan move in and supply direct assistance,\" he said on the
\nsidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in
\nAuckland.<\/p>\n
Axworthy announced the initiative after speaking by telephone
\nwith East Timorese proindependence leader Jose Alexandre \"Xanana\"
\nGusmao in Jakarta, who appealed for help in saving the East
\nTimorese.<\/p>\n
Some nine nations have pledged to provide food if Indonesia
\nensures security, Axworthy said, adding that \"we hope that in the
\nnext 24 hours we can get this off the ground\".<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in
\nSydney his country was giving the United Nations A$3 million
\n(US$2 million) to help its relief agencies operating in East
\nTimor, Reuters reported. (27\/emf\/edt\/prb\/amd)<\/p>",
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