15 East Timorese refugees die from diseases in Kupang

15 East Timorese refugees die from diseases in Kupang

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thousands of East Timorese refugees are suffering from various
diseases, such as diarrhea, malaria, skin irritations and
respiratory problems at their makeshift camps in East Nusa
Tenggara, which have left at least 15 of them dead.

Hundreds of sufferers, many of them in a critical condition,
were confronted with difficulty in finding medicine, as health
service posts had been closed after the government halted the
supply of food assistance to the refugees early last month.

About 130,000 refugees are still stuck in the Tuapukan,
Noelbaki and Naibonat camps in Kupang, the provincial capital of
East Nusa Tenggara, despite the government's decision to halt the
relief program.

Health volunteers working for the Cemara Movement of
Indonesian Christian Students (GMKI) and the Indonesian Christian
Youth Force Movement GAMKI) at the refugee camps said at least 15
people had died since early this year.

Meri Djami, 23, and Saly Bulan, 23, of the two nongovernmental
organizations said the deaths were because of diarrhea, malaria
and respiratory problems.

"Two of them have just died at the Naibonat camp for diarrhea.
We are extremely shocked by the current conditions in which the
refugees are living because the government is no longer
maintaining their health services," Meri said.

Rofina Soares, 38, a former health volunteer with a foreign
nongovernmental organization from the East Timor town of Viqueque
-- who is among the refugees -- said most of the sufferers were
children aged up to five years old, and elderly people.

"Various contagious diseases have begun to attack children and
elderly people recently. Many sufferers have died probably due to
their weakness after starving," he told The Jakarta Post on
Thursday.

A similar complaint was aired by another refugee, Joanario S.
da Silva, 40, also from Viqueque. He said that since the relief
had been stopped, he and his colleagues has been surviving on
whatever they could find for food.

Joanario said the weak physical condition of refugees had made
it easy for disease to spread, especially between children and
elderly people.

"When we were still receiving food assistance and health
services, we were rarely attacked by contagious diseases. But
since early February, many children and elderly people have been
complaining of getting sick," he said.

Many refugees at the three camps were observed on Thursday in
a critical state, with their health continuing to deteriorate.

"My face and body have small spots which are a source of skin
irritation. But I don't know where to get a medical treatment. My
parent is frustrated because there is no medicine," four-year
suffering child Manuel Pinto told The Post.

The refugees repeatedly refused to be repatriated to East
Timor, saying they would return to their homeland after it had
officially become an independent state in May.

Nor did they reject the Indonesian government's offer to join
the resettlement programs to Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

It was not immediately clear why they had insisted on staying
at the refugee camps.

Surrounding villagers have begun to voice annoyance at the
refugees for refusing to leave the camps, which, they claimed,
were built on their land.