62 deported Indonesians arrive home from East Timor
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.