326 refugees sent home
<p>326 refugees sent home</p><p> MANADO, North Sulawesi: Some 326 refugees in the province were
sent back to their homes in Tobelo, North Maluku on Thursday.</p><p>Jeffri Prang, chief of the local social affairs office, said
the repatriation of the North Maluku refugees was the second the
provincial administration had conducted over the past two months.</p><p>He said the refugees were sent home because the situation in
North Maluku had stabilized. They were transported by a ship
chartered by the local administration.</p><p>"The repatriation of the refugees has been conducted in
accordance with their cooperation and financed by the provincial
administration, after coordinating with the North Maluku
administration," he said here on Friday.</p><p>A total of around 300,000 people had taken refuge in the
province following the outbreak of sectarian conflict in North
Maluku two years ago and only a small number of them have since
returned home. Most of them have been placed in hundreds of
refugee camps scattered across Bitung, Manado, Minahasa, Bolaang
Mongondow and Sangihe-Talaud. --Antara</p>
sent back to their homes in Tobelo, North Maluku on Thursday.</p><p>Jeffri Prang, chief of the local social affairs office, said
the repatriation of the North Maluku refugees was the second the
provincial administration had conducted over the past two months.</p><p>He said the refugees were sent home because the situation in
North Maluku had stabilized. They were transported by a ship
chartered by the local administration.</p><p>"The repatriation of the refugees has been conducted in
accordance with their cooperation and financed by the provincial
administration, after coordinating with the North Maluku
administration," he said here on Friday.</p><p>A total of around 300,000 people had taken refuge in the
province following the outbreak of sectarian conflict in North
Maluku two years ago and only a small number of them have since
returned home. Most of them have been placed in hundreds of
refugee camps scattered across Bitung, Manado, Minahasa, Bolaang
Mongondow and Sangihe-Talaud. --Antara</p>