Refugees to leave Galang Island by 1995: Official<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official says he
\nis confident that Galang Island in the Riau archipelago will be
\nfree from Vietnamese and Cambodian boat people by 1995.<\/p>\n
Director of Security F. Rumayar said on Tuesday that the plan
\nis proceeding smoothly with the repatriation process now moving
\nahead without serious obstacles.<\/p>\n
"The plan to vacate the island is going on and the number of
\nboat people is dropping sharply," he said.<\/p>\n
The government has earmarked the island, which has been used
\nto temporarily accommodate Indochinese boat people for the last
\n10 years or more, to serve as a new industrial designated zone as
\npart of the Batam industrial complex.<\/p>\n
Rumayar said currently some 7,800 people wait to be
\nrepatriated to their home counties, compared to more than 10,000
\nin January.<\/p>\n
He said the authorities did not face serious problems
\nregarding the repatriation process, thanks in part to the
\nmemorandum of understanding Indonesia signed with Vietnam last
\nyear on how to deal with the problem.<\/p>\n
Under the agreement, Vietnam agreed to take back all the
\nVietnamese boat people who do not qualify as political refugees.<\/p>\n
Rumayar said the government is working with the United
\nNation's High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to process the
\nboat people.<\/p>\n
He said of the 7,800 boat people now remaining on Galang, 150
\nwere "screened" (qualified as refugees) which means they will be
\nentitled to resettlement in third countries. The others will have
\nto be sent back to their home countries.<\/p>\n
The government has set August 1995 as a target for removing
\nall the boat people from Galang.<\/p>\n
Indonesia also pushed Vietnamese President Le Duc Anh during
\nhis recent visit here to speed-up the repatriation process.<\/p>\n
The repatriation program has been met with strong criticism
\nfrom the boat people themselves. A Vietnamese man committed self-
\nimmolation in May in protest against the policy. The man, Pham
\nVan Chau, died later in a hospital.<\/p>\n
The suicide was part of a week-long strike by over 500
\nVietnamese on Galang who demanded that they be included in the
\n"screened-in" criteria.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that some of the boat people seem to enjoy
\ntheir lives on the island with many owning shops, restaurants and
\neven small cinemas. (par)<\/p>",
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