Government to resume food aid to refugees

Yemris Fointuna and Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Kupang/Yogyakarta

The government has decided to re-start its rice distribution for Timorese refugees in East Nusa Tenggara in response to a series of protests aired by the displaced people.

Sumarjati Arjoso, director general of social aid and security at the Ministry of Social Affairs, asked the head of the provincial social affairs office in an official letter dated July 11 to distribute the rice stored in the provincial logistics warehouses (Dolog) to the refugees.

He said that famine was looming in the refugee camps since the rice assistance was halted on Dec. 31 last year.

The provincial administrations spokesman, Johanis B. Kosapilawan, has said the local government had yet to decide a distribution method for the refugees following an official letter from the Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Jusuf Kalla.

In his letter, Jusuf asked the governor to selectively distribute rice to refugees and locals in anticipation of a prolonged drought.

"But we shall put the refugees who most need the rice as our priority," Kosapilawan told The Jakarta Post.

He said that Jusuf also warned the administration not to make refugees suffer because of its policies.

He said that the policy of stopping rice distributions last year was part of the provincial administration's steps to address the refugee problems through repatriation, empowerment and relocation.

However, a food shortage has arisen and the repatriation program is not yet complete.

Representatives of Timorese refugees rallied at the governor's office to demand an immediate response to the problem.

"We urged the government to distribute the rice immediately because the refugees are getting weaker," Hukman Reni, the coordinator of Timorese Refugees Presidium, told the Post.

Last week, a similar demand was aired by the refugees who were upset that the Rp 53 billion in aid money reportedly sent months ago from Japan had not yet been used to help them. Reports have said the money was still being held by the central government in Jakarta, despite pressure from the Japanese government.

There are between 20,000 and 50,000 East Timorese refugees remaining in East Nusa Tenggara. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees expects the number to halve under the ongoing repatriation program by the end of this year.

The government has set an Aug. 31 deadline for the refugees to decide whether to remain in Indonesia or return to their home soil.

In Yogyakarta, some 50 pro-integration East Timorese living in the sultanate twon held a flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday to mark the 26th anniversary of the former Portuguese colony's incorporation into the republic.

Held modestly in front of the East Timor Dormitory on Jl. Timor Timur, some seven kilometers north of the downtown, the ceremony was presided over by the chairman of the Yogyakarta branch office of Uni Timor Aswain (UNTAS), Bernardino Mariano Sousa.

Some 10 children of East Timorese descent were among the participants during the 30-minute-long ceremony.

During the emotional event, the East Timorese demanded in a joint statement that the government declare Aug. 30 a national day of mourning. On that date three years ago, East Timor voted for independence in a UN-administered self-determination ballot.

The statement also said that the establishment of the East Timor state was against the wishes of the East Timorese people. They urged the international community, including the UN, to investigate human rights violations committed by pro-independence figures.

Regarding the refugees, the group asked the government to stop all acts of what they described as terror in the various camps. in East Nusa Tenggara. They claimed the refugees were being forced to return to East Timor under a repatriation program.