Boatpeople have to go home: Feisal
Boatpeople have to go home: Feisal
JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung
reiterated yesterday that the 4,000 Indochinese boat people
currently living on Galang Island in Riau will have to go home.
"The time will come when they have to leave," he was quoted by
Antara as saying yesterday. "If they refuse, we'll make them."
The government has set June 30 as the deadline to clear the
island, just before July 1, when the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees deadline to end its financial
assistance is due.
The UNHCR supports the care and maintenance of the boat people
and covers other costs related to their repatriation such as
flights and pocket money.
Feisal was responding to questions about the various efforts
the Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees may take to avoid
repatriation. Some refugees have reportedly tried drastic
measures like attempting suicide to protest their planned
repatriation.
Feisal said that the same repatriation approach is being taken
by Malaysia, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
"We are launching a massive operation to send the refugees
home," he said. "However, we'll still have to wait for the
approval of the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments before they
can actually be sent home."
Responding to questions about the possibility of "inhumane
treatment" of refugees by the authorities during forced
repatriation, Feisal sidestepped the issue by saying that
"allowing those people to stay on Galang for 20 years is already
very humane".
"We have been working intensively to facilitate the
repatriation by communicating with the two countries' embassies
and foreign affairs ministries," Feisal said.
"As to whether we may have to miss the deadline yet again,
we'll discuss that with the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry
and the United Nations agency," he said.
"The Indonesian government doesn't want this problem to become
a burden in the future," he said.
There are currently 11,000 Indochinese boat people throughout
East Asia who failed to qualify for refugee status, and lost the
opportunity to be resettled in industrialized countries.
Indonesia, along with other Asian recipient countries, had
earlier hoped that the remaining boat people from Vietnam and
Cambodia would return to their respective homes under voluntary
repatriation programs.
Only 17 of the 4,400 boat people on Indonesia's Galang island,
just south of Singapore, have been accorded refugee status and
the rest will have to return to Vietnam.
Over the past 20 years, the island has been a temporary home
to about 248,000 boat people.
Indonesia wants to vacate the island to develop it as part of
the Balerang bonded zone area which would cover Batam, Rempang
and Galang islands. (swe)
JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung
reiterated yesterday that the 4,000 Indochinese boat people
currently living on Galang Island in Riau will have to go home.
"The time will come when they have to leave," he was quoted by
Antara as saying yesterday. "If they refuse, we'll make them."
The government has set June 30 as the deadline to clear the
island, just before July 1, when the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees deadline to end its financial
assistance is due.
The UNHCR supports the care and maintenance of the boat people
and covers other costs related to their repatriation such as
flights and pocket money.
Feisal was responding to questions about the various efforts
the Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees may take to avoid
repatriation. Some refugees have reportedly tried drastic
measures like attempting suicide to protest their planned
repatriation.
Feisal said that the same repatriation approach is being taken
by Malaysia, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
"We are launching a massive operation to send the refugees
home," he said. "However, we'll still have to wait for the
approval of the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments before they
can actually be sent home."
Responding to questions about the possibility of "inhumane
treatment" of refugees by the authorities during forced
repatriation, Feisal sidestepped the issue by saying that
"allowing those people to stay on Galang for 20 years is already
very humane".
"We have been working intensively to facilitate the
repatriation by communicating with the two countries' embassies
and foreign affairs ministries," Feisal said.
"As to whether we may have to miss the deadline yet again,
we'll discuss that with the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry
and the United Nations agency," he said.
"The Indonesian government doesn't want this problem to become
a burden in the future," he said.
There are currently 11,000 Indochinese boat people throughout
East Asia who failed to qualify for refugee status, and lost the
opportunity to be resettled in industrialized countries.
Indonesia, along with other Asian recipient countries, had
earlier hoped that the remaining boat people from Vietnam and
Cambodia would return to their respective homes under voluntary
repatriation programs.
Only 17 of the 4,400 boat people on Indonesia's Galang island,
just south of Singapore, have been accorded refugee status and
the rest will have to return to Vietnam.
Over the past 20 years, the island has been a temporary home
to about 248,000 boat people.
Indonesia wants to vacate the island to develop it as part of
the Balerang bonded zone area which would cover Batam, Rempang
and Galang islands. (swe)