Government pledges to resettle refugees soon

Government pledges to resettle refugees soon

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): The government promised on
Tuesday to relocate East Timor refugees sheltered in this
province in two months.

Minister of Transmigration A.M. Hendro Priyono said here that
transmigration areas across the province would be allotted for
the East Timorese, who fled their homeland following the Aug. 30
self-determination ballot.

"They must be resettled as soon as possible in order not to
cause new problems for local residents or themselves," Hendro
said.

Hendro said the land designated for transmigration would be
able to accommodate some 100,000 people. The parcels of land are
scattered around West Timor and Sumba, Flores and Alor islands.

"If the exodus continues, we will seek new places outside the
province, for example in Maluku and Irian Jaya. The last two
provinces are on paper and ready to welcome the refugees, who
will only need to adapt themselves to the local culture," Hendro
said.

Along with Hendro, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare
and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono, Minister of Agriculture
Sholeh Solahudin, Minister of Public Works Rachmadi Bambang
Sumadhijo and Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus visited some
5,000 families camping in refugee centers here.

In response to Hendro's statement, Kupang Regent I.A. Medah
said the regency's capital of Sulemu, some 50 kilometers east of
here, was ready to admit 50,000 refugees now taking shelter in
town.

"There are numerous housing complexes which have not been
inhabited yet. Apart from houses, the local government will allow
the refugees to use plots belonging to the local government,"
Medah said.

The number of refugees sheltered in nine regencies across this
province broke the 140,000 mark on Tuesday. Hundreds more were
camping at El Tari Airport, waiting for evacuation to their
hometowns in Java.

The refugees, along with the only goods they had left, packed
the tunnel which leads to the airport's office. Some were asleep
when some 500 fellow refugees arrived from Baucau and Lospalos.

Tears and hugs welcomed the latest batch of refugees, mostly
old women and children, who landed at the airport on Tuesday
morning on a Hercules flight.

Haryono told refugees residing at the NTT sports hall that the
government would not prevent them from returning home if security
and order were restored.

But a number of refugees opted to stay out of East Timor, at
least for some time, citing the fear and terror they endured
along the way to safety.

"I saw militia members and military troops kill priests and
nuns," a man who requested anonymity said. "I will go back only
if the peacekeeping force comes and the Indonesian troops go," he
said.

Some refugees, meanwhile, are longing for home.

"I'm supportive of the autonomy offer, but I wish I could go
home some day. Regardless of its new status as an independent
state, East Timor is my beloved birthplace," said Joao Soares.

He said he hoped the United Nations international troops could
arrive as soon as possible and restore order.

Another refugee, Maria Saldanha, concurred. "I wish East Timor
returns to normal, so that I can go home. The security situation
has forced me to take refuge," she said.

East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piet Alexander Tallo, who
accompanied the five Cabinet ministers, reiterated his call on
local residents and refugees to exercise restraint, following
reports of arguments which had flared up between local youths and
armed East Timor prointegration militias.

"Local residents should understand the psychological burden of
the refugees. On the other hand, the refugees should adjust
themselves to local culture," Tallo said.

Refugees outnumber the residents of Kupang and Atambua, and
residents have raised complaints over the militia members who
display guns in public places and sometimes fire shots.

Chief of Udayana Military Command overseeing Nusa Tenggara,
Bali and East Timor, Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, has pledged not to
tolerate a display of arms.

In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi Governor HZB Palaguna said the
province expects to receive 10,000 people fleeing from East
Timor, of which 6,000 are South Sulawesi natives who migrated to
the former Portuguese colony.

"We don't mind accepting the East Timorese, no matter what
they voted for in the August ballot," Palaguna said, adding that
international assistance was needed to help the province resettle
the refugees.

In Jakarta, 12 ambassadors of European Union countries told
President B.J. Habibie that their governments had pledged US$10
million worth of humanitarian assistance for the East Timorese
and were preparing an airdrop of food and emergency supplies in
the territory.

Hannu Himanen, the Finnish ambassador to Indonesia, told
reporters after the meeting at the State Palace that the aid
package would be delivered through international organizations
under the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and
local government-sanctioned social organizations.

Himanen said the aid delivery would take place as soon as
security was restored to East Timor. (yac/30/prb/amd)