E. Timor refugees demand compensation

E. Timor refugees demand compensation

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

Hundreds of displaced persons from East Timor taking refuge in
East Nusa Tenggara province demanded on Monday that the central
government compensate them with Rp 263 billion (US$26.3 million)
for the assets they left behind in East Timor following the 1999
autonomy plebiscite.

The displaced persons of East Nusa Tenggara origin raised
their demands in a protest outside the provincial council
building on Monday ahead of the ending of their status as
displaced persons as of Dec. 31 of this year.

In their statements, read by Imanuel Ndun, the coordinator
handling displaced persons' assets in East Timor, now known as
Timor Leste, the protesters called on President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono not to forget his campaign promises, including not to
abandon displaced persons from Timor Leste or their possessions.

"At that time (of the election), he said that if he was
elected the President, he would pay attention to our assets like
houses, land, vehicles and important documents, but he hasn't,"
he said.

Some 14,000 families of East Nusa Tenggara origin are now
living in the province as displaced persons.

According to Imanuel, the total amount of assets left behind
during the period of communal violence that followed the UN-
sponsored plebiscite in September 1999 was more than Rp 1.62
trillion. This estimate, he added, was made on the basis that all
the assets had been destroyed by fire, plus what remained after
the plebiscite.

Head of East Nusa Tenggara provincial administration's social
services office, Frans Salem, said the administration has worked
to meet the demands of the displaced persons but was hampered by
foreign diplomacy problems.

"Governor Piet A. Tallo has conveyed the compensation matter
to the central government," he said, adding that all policies
related to displaced persons fell under the authority of the
central government, not the provincial administration.