Over 25,000 E. Timor refugees register for repatriation<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang<\/p>\n
Since the presidential election in East Timor on April 14,
\n2002, 25,453 refugees or 7,600 East Timorese refugee families in
\nWest Timor have registered for repatriation and are expected to
\nreturn home by the end of the month.<\/p>\n
Stanis Tefa, chief of social affairs at the secretariat of the
\nprovincial administration, said more and more refugees have
\nregistered for the planned repatriation with local authorities in
\nBelu and Kupang, which is expected to peak on May 20, when UNAMET
\ntransfers full authority to the East Timor government under
\npresident-elect Alessandro Xanana Gusmao.<\/p>\n
\"Between 30 and 50 refugee families are registering with the
\nrepatriation committee every day. The remaining refugees, who
\nremain indecisive about the situation in East Timor, will follow
\nsuit after learning the good news from other refugees who have
\nalready arrived home,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The local administration has offered Rp 750,000 for each
\nfamily that decides to return to East Timor.<\/p>\n
Tefa said there were still around 100,000 refugees in the
\nprovince. \"If this group of 25,453 refugees return home, most of
\nthe other 74,500 are expected to follow suit.\"<\/p>\n
He said most refugees have expressed a willingness to witness
\nEast Timor's independence and the planned swearing-in of Xanana
\nas their maiden president.<\/p>\n
\"The difficult situation and uncertainty in their own camps
\nwill also help encourage them to return home,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Johanis J. Kosapilawan, spokesman for the
\nprovincial administration, said that, according to data he gained
\nfrom the refugee task force, the number of refugees who have yet
\nto register themselves for repatriation was only 55,000 and a
\nmajority of them were in Atambua and none of them have decided to
\nstay in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We will continue to enhance cooperation with UNTAET, UNHCR
\nand the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to
\npersuade the refugees to register themselves for the repatriation
\nprogram so that the refugee problem will no longer burden the
\nIndonesian government,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that those who refused to return home and wanted to
\nstay in Indonesia would be asked to join a resettlement program
\nthat would relocate them outside the province.<\/p>\n
So far, 104 East Timorese families have been resettled in
\nLampung.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/over-25000-e-timor-refugees-register-for-repatriation-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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