Refugees refuse repatriation due to unpaid Christmas bonus<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara<\/p>\n
Hundreds of East Timorese refugees sheltering in Kupang and Belu
\nregencies have refused to be repatriated, pending the
\ndisbursement of Christmas bonuses promised by the Indonesian
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Belu regent Marsel Bere said on Monday Coordinating Minister
\nfor Peoples' Welfare Yusuf Kalla had promised during his recent
\nvisit here to give Rp 1.5 million in cash to each family so that
\nthey could buy necessities for Christmas celebrations.<\/p>\n
Soon after Kalla announced the incentive, hundreds of East
\nTimorese refugees registered themselves with the Belu office to
\njoin the repatriation program.<\/p>\n
Their travel was slated for mid-October, but the refugees
\nasked for a delay until the government had paid the bonuses.<\/p>\n
\"We have asked the coordinating minister to immediately
\nfulfill the promise so we can send the refugees back to their
\nhome soil,\" Bere said in Atambua, the capital of Belu.<\/p>\n
Separately, Kupang Military Command chief Lt. Col. Pieter Lobo
\nadded that around 70 refugees had confirmed their participation
\nin the repatriation program. He urged Kalla to meet the refugees'
\ndemand so as to smooth the program's implementation.<\/p>\n
\"The government should not delay any further the promise to
\ndistribute the Christmas bonuses because we fear that would
\naffect their behavior while still in the shelters,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Some 250,000 East Timorese fled the former Indonesian province
\nin 1999 to escape violence and destruction following the UN-
\nsponsored independence ballot. Most of them expressed an
\nintention to return to their home country as soon as East Timor
\ndeclared independence in May this year.<\/p>\n
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) initially ran
\nthe repatriation program until September. The Indonesian
\ngovernment took over the obligation and set a deadline of Dec. 31
\nfor the program, or else the East Timorese would automatically
\nbecome Indonesian citizens.<\/p>\n
Alfonso, 29, a resident of Viqueque district in East Timor,
\nsaid he had been staying in Noelbaki refugee camp for the last
\nthree years with three members of his family.<\/p>\n
He said his family had registered themselves for repatriation
\nand hoped to arrive home before Christmas so that they could
\ncelebrate the holiday and New Year with relatives back home.<\/p>\n
\"After three years, now is the time to go home because the
\nsituation and conditions in Timor Leste have much improved,\" he
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/refugees-refuse-repatriation-due-to-unpaid-christmas-bonus-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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