Foundation to send E. Timorese children home

Foundation to send E. Timorese children home

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Harapan Timor (Timor's Hope), otherwise known as the HATI
foundation, has pledged to return five East Timorese children
from schools and orphanages in Java to their families in refugees
camps following demands from the East Timorese refugees.

HATI chairwoman Natercia M. J. O Soares said on Friday those
children would be returned to their parents because the refugees
did not trust the foundation anymore.

"The children arrived in Kupang on Dec. 24. We will soon
escort them to their families," said Natercia who is also a
legislator in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

The five children are Domingas de Jesus, Cacilda da Silva,
Josefa da Silva, Angelina da Costa, and Joaquim da Silva. They
will meet their families in refugees camps in the Belu regency,
East Nusa Tenggara, Antara reported.

Meantime, Hukman Reni, a lawyer for the HATI foundation, said
that the foundation would return 20 children from schools in
Central Java to their families in the next batch.

Natercia revealed that there were still 156 children staying
in orphanages in Java in order to receive better education.

All schools and orphanages where the children are staying
belong to Catholic foundations, HATI said.

Natercia said that families of the 156 children trusted her
foundation.

Nevertheless, not all East Timorese refugees wanted their
children back.

Filomeno Same, whose son George Xaves is in grade 6 at Santo
Thomas elementary school in Jimbaran, Bali, said that he would
not urge the foundation to bring his son back.

Another refugee, Filomeno, said his son was studying in Java
and he was happy with that.

"I am glad my son is getting an education in Java because life
in the camps is miserable," said Filomeno.

There have been accusations made about HATI and other social
welfare groups that they are not cooperating with the UN to
repatriate the wanted children.

TIME magazine, for instance, reported that some East Timorese
children had been "forced" to convert to Islam at some Islamic
orphanages to get education and better nutrition.

The magazine reported that during the bloody insurrection in
East Timor, a man called Hasan Basri met residents in Venelale
and asked them if they wanted to give their children in order for
them to get education and food.

The only requirement was that the children convert from
Catholicism, which is practiced by most East Timorese, to Islam,
the religion of their Indonesian guardians.

According to the magazine, the United Nations has estimated
there are 400 children scattered in orphanages and homes
throughout Indonesia.

Despite the intervention of international agencies and
repeated requests from parents for their return, many remain
under the guardianship of people like Hasan who want to raise
them as Muslims.