East Timor refugees must decide fate in June

East Timor refugees must decide fate in June

JAKARTA (JP): A total of 112,243 East Timor refugees living in
camps across East Nusa Tenggara will have to decide after June 6
whether or not they wish to remain in Indonesia or return to
their homeland.

Deputy chief of the Uni Timor Aswain (Untas), an East Timor
reconciliation forum, Noberta Bello, said in Kupang on Wednesday
that the Indonesian government will commence registration on June
6, 2001.

Noberta highlighted the significance of the registration,
which will be a crucial time for these refugees in determining
their future.

Those who choose to stay in Indonesia will most likely be
placed in resettlement areas and no longer live in emergency
refugee tents, she said.

Those who do not retain their Indonesian citizenship will be
repatriated in due time back across the border by the United
Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET).

"All East Timorese will have the freedom to make their own
choice according to their conscience," Vitorino Araujo dos
Santos, another member of Untas, was quoted by Antara as saying.

"There will be no pressure from anyone during the registration
process.

"We've tried to explain to the refugees the importance of the
registration process. They understand and are prepared for it,"
he said.

Noberta added that such a registration process, in which
people will have to determine where their futures lie, is
probably one of the first ever held in the world.

"The Indonesian government is also doing it because it will
make it easier to draft plans for humanitarian aid in the
future," she added.

Some 256 registration posts will be readied, opening from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 6. About 1,600 officials will be on hand
to register the refugees.

"I'm optimistic that the registration will be successful,"
Noberta remarked.

As reported by Antara, data released by United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees reveals that the total number of East
Timorese refugees who have already been repatriated has reached
some 175,000 people.