62 deported Indonesians arrive home from East Timor

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post/Kupang

After five hours of immigration checks in Motaain, on the border of East Timor and Indonesia, 62 people were deported from the neighboring country, finally arriving on Monday evening in Atambua, the capital of Belu regency in East Nusa Tenggara.

The 62 are among 274 people who have been deported from East Timor for failing to acquire the proper immigration documents.

Most of the people are originally from Sumatra or Java, some having lived in East Timor long before it separated from Indonesia in 1999.

Most of them are small-scale traders or canteen owners, but there are also children among the group.

Belu Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ekotrio Budhiniar said that East Timorese officials had dropped the 62 people in Motaain, directly handing them over to Indonesian immigration officials. Most of the men in the group wore Muslim caps, the women head scarfs. They were transported by Indonesian officials to Atambua, he said.

Ekotrio said that earlier he had received a fax from the Indonesian Embassy in East Timor, saying that East Timor would deport a number of Indonesians this week on separate occasions.

The 274 immigrants had lived in Alor in Dili, the capital of East Timor. They earlier said that they had no money to pay for immigration documents or the tax imposed on foreigners, and they did not want to become East Timorese citizens.

Ekotrio said the 62 people would be accommodated in Belu administration camps and hostels before journeying to their hometowns.

Separately, Atambua Immigration Office chief Slamet Santoso said that the office lacked the funds to cover the expenses of the 62 people, and that the Belu Social Office was responsible for them.

Indonesia invaded East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, in 1975, and annexed it the following year. The harsh treatment of people in the area by the Indonesian Military put the province in the international spotlight. Many countries have also questioned the legitimacy of East Timor's incorporation into Indonesia, which cornered Indonesia in many international forums.

Given the many diplomatic problems sparked by East Timorese- Indonesian relations, former minister of foreign affairs Ali Alatas once said that East Timor was "a pebble in Indonesia's shoe."

Following the fall of Soeharto in 1998, the government under Habibie offered in 1999 the people of East Timor the chance to vote on whether to stay part of Indonesia under a wider autonomy scheme or separate from the country. The East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence in the UN-sponsored referendum.