Govt sets new deadline for East Timorese refugees to go home
Govt sets new deadline for East Timorese refugees to go home
Yemris Fointuna
The Jakarta Post
Kupang
The government has given until Aug. 31 for East Timorese refugees
to join government-sponsored repatriation programs, an official
says.
Citing a letter issued in May by Coordinating Minister for
People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Social
Affairs Bureau director Stanis Tefa told The Jakarta Post here on
Tuesday that the government would no longer organize repatriation
programs for East Timorese refugees after Sept. 1, 2002.
"The government will stop the repatriation programs for East
Timorese refugees on Aug. 31. We would therefore urge them to
make up their minds now," Stanis said.
Close to 250,000 East Timorese fled to West Timor in September
1999 as military-backed militias went on a bloody rampage after
the population of Indonesia's then 27th province voted
overwhelmingly to break away from the country in a United
Nations-organized referendum in August 1999.
Data provided by the NTT administration shows that between
30,000 and 40,000 East Timorese refugees are still living in
makeshift refugee camps in West Timor and other parts of the
country.
In a letter addressed to NTT Governor Piet Tallo in May,
Minister Jusuf emphasized that refugees wanting to return to East
Timor after Aug. 31 would have to shoulder all the expenses
involved by themselves.
Since June 1, 2001, the government has been giving an
allowance of Rp 750,000 to each East Timorese refugee returning
to East Timor.
"Both the repatriation program and the allowances will be
halted on Sept. 1," Stanis said.
He also said that at least 33,000 East Timorese refugees,
consisting of 10,000 families, had returned to East Timor since
September 2001. Of these, 19,000 came from Belu regency, and
4,000 from Kupang regency. The rest came from Alor and Flores
islands, also in NTT.
The NTT administration said in May that it would extend the
repatriation program until Nov. 20, 2002, to allow more refugees
to return home. Refugees declining to return home would be
presumed to be Indonesia citizens and would be asked to join
resettlement programs to move them to other provinces.
East Timor achieved full independence on May 20, 2002, after
more than four hundred years of foreign rule, including 32 months
under the United Nations.