Govt offers bonus to refugees

Govt offers bonus to refugees

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The government has agreed to
provide Idul Fitri, Christmas, and New Year financial packages to
East Timorese wishing to return by the end of this year.

East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Governor Piet A. Tallo said on Friday
that Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Yusuf Kalla had
already conveyed news of the special plan to a task force in
charge of East Timorese refugees in West Timor.

It was not immediately clear how much money the government had
earmarked for the program or how much each refugee would receive.

Data from the local administration showed that 30,129 East
Timorese, consisting of 10,387 families, remained in refugee
camps in NTT.

The governor also said that active members of the Indonesian
military (TNI) and police, as well as civil servants wishing to
return to East Timor, would each receive financial incentives
ranging from Rp 5 million to Rp 15 million.

The special repatriation program expires on Dec 31, Piet Tallo
said, adding that East Timorese refugees who opted to stay in NTT
beyond that date would be resettled to other parts of Indonesia.

Close to 250,000 East Timorese crammed into West Timor in 1999
when military-backed militias went on a bloody rampage after a
majority of the territory's population voted to break away from
Indonesia in a UN-sponsored referendum. --Antara