Timorese continue protests<\/p>\n
KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: East Timorese refugees living in
\nvarious camps in West Timor continued with their protests on
\nTuesday, demanding aid from the government for some 20,000
\nrefugee families, or some 54,000 refugees in all.<\/p>\n
Tuesday's protest was the third since Saturday.<\/p>\n
Protest coordinator Feliks Fernandez told reporters that they
\nwould continue their protests until the government heeded their
\ndemands.<\/p>\n
\"We feel we are being neglected by the government,\" he said,
\nadding that refugees had had a tough time of it since the
\ngovernment halted official aid to them at the end of last year.<\/p>\n
The government has adamantly stated that it will not resume
\naid to the refugees, and has asked them to choose whether they
\nwant to return to East Timor or join a government resettlement
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the head of East Nusa Tenggara's Social Affairs
\nOffice, Stanis Tefa, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the
\nlocal administration might consider providing emergency aid to
\nthe refugees.<\/p>\n
He said his office had offered to provide eight tons of rice
\nto the refugees, but the offer was rejected by representatives of
\nthe refugees who had instead demanded continuing assistance. --
\nJP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/timorese-continue-protests-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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