Refugees demand food as ministers arrive<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang<\/p>\n
Hundreds of East Timorese refugees demonstrated here on Friday to
\ndemand food as Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf
\nKalla visited the East Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang along with
\ntwo fellow ministers.<\/p>\n
The refugees staged a rally at the city's El Tari Airport,
\nwhere Kalla, Minister of Health Achmad Suyudi and Minister of
\nRegional Infrastructure and Resettlement Sunarno arrived to
\nattend a ground-breaking ceremony for the development of 5,000
\nhouses in resettlement areas here.<\/p>\n
During the visit, Kalla and the other two ministers also
\ndelivered Rp 53 billion in humanitarian assistance from the
\nJapanese government for refugees still stuck in camps across the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
The protesters rejected the use of the assistance funds,
\nreceived by the provincial administration for the development of
\nresettlement areas and health services.<\/p>\n
They demanded that the government hold talks with the
\ncoordinators of refugee camps and other senior refugee leaders
\nbefore the Japanese aid was spent.<\/p>\n
\"What we need now is food, not health services. The refugees
\nare in a critical condition due to food shortages,\" Elio Soares,
\na leader of the refugees, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, it would be better if the assistance from the
\nJapanese government was partially used to provide food,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Responding to the demand, Minister Kalla said the Japanese
\ngovernment was not only providing the assistance for the East
\nTimorese refugees, but also for indigenous people in East Nusa
\nTenggara, who had been allowing part of their lands and assets to
\nbe used to help the refugees for the last three years.<\/p>\n
No violence was reported during the demonstration and the
\nground-breaking ceremony held at Naibonat village in East Kupang
\nsubdistrict ran smoothly.<\/p>\n
Speaking during the ceremony, Kalla said the government should
\nhave finished repatriating refugees to their homeland on Aug. 31,
\n2002, but because the East Timorese administration was ready to
\nreceive them at anytime, the Indonesian government had extended
\nthe deadline until Dec. 31.<\/p>\n
He said that in the case of refugees wanting to return to East
\nTimor between October and December, the government here would
\nstill provide them with Rp 1.5 million in compensation per
\nfamily, or Rp 300,000 per person.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the amount of compensation had previously set at only
\nRp 750,000 per family. Kalla did not explain how the increase had
\ncome about.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/refugees-demand-food-as-ministers-arrive-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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