RI begins clearing Galang of boat people<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The military will repatriate 200 Indochinese
\nboat people from Galang Island by sea tomorrow in a new drive to
\nclear the island of all remaining Vietnamese and Cambodians who
\nhave overstayed their welcomes.<\/p>\n
In all, 4,308 Vietnamese and 320 Cambodians will be
\nrepatriated by the end of the month, Armed Forces Chief of
\nGeneral Affairs Lt. Gen. Soeyono told reporters yesterday.<\/p>\n
The government has hoped to turn the island -- which has
\naccommodated more than 248,000 people since the first wave of
\nboat people came in the mid-1970s -- into an industrial zone. The
\npresence of the boat people repeatedly put the plan on hold.<\/p>\n
\"We can no longer delay the development program,\" Soeyono
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The 4,000 or so boat people still on the island failed to gain
\nrefugee status, which would have given them tickets to a new life
\nand homes in industrialized countries.<\/p>\n
Hanoi has agreed to take them back, but -- in spite of
\nassurances that they would not be persecuted -- many boat people
\nhave refused to return. On Tuesday, more than 200 Vietnamese
\nmigrants voluntarily left Galang island on board Vietnamese
\nplanes.<\/p>\n
Soeyono promised that Indonesia would avoid using force in
\nboarding the boat people onto the ships that would take them
\nhome.<\/p>\n
The boat people will be shipped on board the Navy's tank-
\nlanding ships, each of which could accommodate 200 people, he
\nsaid. He added that the trip from Galang to Ho Chi Minh City
\nwould take between three to four days.<\/p>\n
Soeyono said the operation is being launched in view of a June
\n30 deadline agreed on during the meeting of the steering
\ncommittee of the Comprehensive Plan of Action of the UN High
\nCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, in March.<\/p>\n
The plan of action was formulated in 1989 to help expedite the
\nreturn of the boat people from various refugee processing centers
\nin Asia, including Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The UNHCR said that it would bear the repatriation costs.<\/p>\n
Vietnamese boat people in other Asian countries, including
\nMalaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines, are also being sent home
\nin increasing numbers.<\/p>\n
The UNHCR said last month that about 40,000 Indochinese
\nrefugees remain in camps throughout the region, at least half of
\nthem in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, along with other Asian recipient countries, had
\nearlier hoped that the remaining boat people from Vietnam and
\nCambodia would return to their respective homes under voluntary
\nrepatriation programs. (imn)<\/p>",
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