Humanitarian group evaluates conditions in refugee camps<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Humanitarian workers visited a refugee camp in
\nAtambua on on the border of East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by Minister of Social Affairs Justika Baharsyah,
\nthe 16-member delegation led by Julia Taft visited some 2,500
\nrefugees sheltered in Haliwen stadium.<\/p>\n
Haliwen refugees coordinator Esperansa Lopez told the
\ndelegation the refugee camp lacked clean water, cooking utensils
\nand mats, and that there was a threat of disease.<\/p>\n
\"Some refugees are suffering from malaria, diarrhea and
\ntuberculosis,\" Lopez told the delegation, which consisted of
\nrepresentatives from the United States, Sweden, Japan, the United
\nKingdom, Thailand and Australia.<\/p>\n
Taft, also an assistant to the U.S state secretary, said
\nhumanitarian aid would be dispatched to the refugees through the
\nIndonesian government.<\/p>\n
Over 200,000 East Timorese refugees streamed into East Nusa
\nTenggara to escape violence devastating their homeland following
\nthe announcement of the result of the Aug. 30 referendum, in
\nwhich Indonesia's offer of wide-ranging autonomy was rejected.<\/p>\n
President B.J. Habibie, meanwhile, offered East Timorese
\nrefugees the opportunity to be relocated to various settlement
\nareas across the country.<\/p>\n
After officiating at an evaluation meeting on the
\nimplementation of transmigration here on Wednesday, Habibie made
\nan offer of transmigration to Antonio da Silva, an East Timorese
\nrefugee who was present at the occasion.<\/p>\n
\"We are ashamed to be continuously fed and supplied in the
\ncamps,\" Antonio said. Antonio expressed hope that he might be
\nallowed to return to his hometown of Ainaro, East Timor.<\/p>\n
The President officiated at ceremonies at various
\ntransmigration settlement sites to hand over the sites to 16
\ngovernors, whose regions are destinations of transmigrants.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transmigration AM Hendropriyono said that during
\nthe 1999\/2000 fiscal year, 81 transmigration villages housing
\n27,626 families or 115,149 people had been handed over to the
\nprovincial governments in 16 provinces.<\/p>\n
Psychological pressure<\/p>\n
In East Nusa Tenggara, security officers and medical experts
\nshared their concerns over psychological pressure affecting
\ntroops withdrawn from East Timor. They also demanded military
\nleaders in Jakarta take concrete steps in dealing with the
\nmatter.<\/p>\n
\"It is very hard for the boys in the field to get a grip on
\nthemselves. Many Indonesian Military and police officers are
\nstressed out, especially so after the ballot results were
\nannounced,\" said a lieutenant colonel in Oekusi, a town of
\nAmbeno.<\/p>\n
Ambeno is an East Timor enclave in East Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
\"We're feel like we're losing a war here. We don't sleep or
\neat well as we lack supplies,\" the officer, who requested
\nanonymity, said.<\/p>\n
\"Do not blame them if they do something shocking,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Middle-ranking officers are also apparently under a lot of
\nstress.<\/p>\n
Viqueque military district commander Maj. Nico was reportedly
\nadmitted to W.Z. Yohanes General Hospital in Kupang on Sunday
\nafter he became upset and punched a window at his house.<\/p>\n
Paramedics said Nico was under a lot of stress.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, a group of exhausted Mobile Brigade police fired in
\nthe air in frustration. Their behavior caused an electricity
\nblackout when their bullets cut through an electricity cable on
\nJl. Basuki Rahmat in Atambua.<\/p>\n
Nuralim Mallapasi, chief of the Association of Medical Doctors
\nof Asia (AMDA) said the soldiers and police officers'
\ndisappointment over events was clearly written all over their
\nfaces.<\/p>\n
\"They feel abandon and as though nobody cares about them. They
\ndon't even have enough food to support them,\" Nuralim said.
\n(27\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/humanitarian-group-evaluates-conditions-in-refugee-camps-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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