Xanana says refugees can opt to return home<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang<\/p>\n
Timor Leste President Xanana Gusmao said on Tuesday that refugees
\nfrom his country now living in East Nusa Tenggara province would
\nbe welcome to return home.<\/p>\n
"It's up to the people to make the best decision. Timor
\nLeste's doors are always open. A few years ago we urged them to
\ncome home, but now it is totally up to them to decide," he said
\nduring his one-day visit to the province where he met Governor
\nPiet A. Tallo and other officials.<\/p>\n
The call came just four days ahead of the end of the United
\nNations United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)'s
\nhumanitarian mission in the province after four years.<\/p>\n
An estimated 250,000 people were forced to flee to the
\nprovince during the violence that surrounded Timor Leste's UN-
\nsponsored referendum in 1999. The majority of refugees have since
\nreturned home, but thousands opted to remain in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
UNHCR's deputy regional representative, Henrik Nordentoft,
\nsaid earlier this month that "special circumstances demonstrating
\nan ongoing need for international protection and assistance for
\nrefugees no longer exists", AFP reported. Piet told reporters
\nthat around 104,436 Timorese refugees were still living in East
\nNusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
Speaking after meeting Xanana, where they also discussed other
\nissues like border problems, Governor Piet A. Tallo said the
\ngovernment was still committed to assisting the refugees.<\/p>\n
"With the end of the UNHCR mission on Dec. 31 this year, the
\ngovernment will remain committed to helping the refugees since
\ntheir plight is a humanitarian problem that needs to be properly
\ndealt with," Tallo said.<\/p>\n
Separately, pro-integration groups hoped that Xanana's visit
\nwould bring peace and could bridge further reconciliation between
\ntwo countries.<\/p>\n
"As a Timor Leste citizen living in Indonesia, we ask Xanana
\nto give fair treatment to us, including giving us freedom to
\nvisit Timor Leste without a passport or visa like foreigners,"
\nsaid Armindo Soares, a former East Timor council speaker.<\/p>",
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