Govt urged to lobby UN to lift sanction call in NTT

Govt urged to lobby UN to lift sanction call in NTT

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

East Nusa Tenggara authorities called on the central government
to continue lobbying the UN to lift the UN Security Council's
Resolution for sanctions in connection with the killing of
UNHCR's international civilian staff in the province's town of
Atambua in 2000, saying it has affected the province's economic
growth and sown a hatred among local people against the newly
independent East Timor.

The resolution issued on Sept. 8, 2000 following the attack by
militiamen and East Timorese refugees at the UNHCR office in
Atambua on Sept. 6, 2000, spells out that Indonesia must conduct
a thorough investigation into the murders, all pro-Jakarta
militias should be dissolved, refugees should be freely allowed
to choose to return home or to stay in Indonesia and protection
needs to be provided for the remaining local UN staff. Following
the resolution, the UN secretariat general also issued a
statement that the region was not safe for foreigners, especially
UN workers.

Following the incident, all UN agencies and most private non-
governmental organizations stopped their humanitarian assistance
to the refugees and their repatriation assistance in the
province, and the number of foreign tourists visiting the
province decreased significantly.

Col. Maswarno Moesanip, chief of the Wirasakti Military
District supervising western Timor, claimed the UN should drop
its resolution as all eight points had been met by the Indonesian
government. He also added that it was affecting the province's
economy.

"Our foreign minister should continue lobbying the UN Security
Council to lift the resolution because we have met all things
recommended. It has brought negative impacts to the province's
economy over the last three years," he said.

He added that the resolution's economic impact had created
hatred among local people because of the assault at the UNHCR
office that left three UN workers dead was participated in by a
great many East Timorese refugees, most of whom had returned to
their homeland following East Timor's May 20 independence.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said the central
government had several times lobbied the UN secretariat general
and the UN Security Council but they declined to drop it due to
unsatisfactory conditions in western Timor and the light
sentences handed down for those found guilty of killing the UNHCR
workers.

The Jakarta District Court sentenced the six people held
responsible for the killing to between 10 months and 20 months in
jail on May 4, 2001.

Moesanip warned the UN that a failure to drop the resolution
would certainly strain the ties between East Timor and Indonesia.

So far, the provincial administration has closed down the
transit point in Atambua for refugees returning to Oecusse, East
Timor's enclave surrounded by western Timor.

Johannis Kosapilawan, spokesman for the provincial
administration, concurred and said the UN resolution and the UN
secretariat general's statement had affected the province's
economic development program.

"Following the issuance of the UN resolution, the number of
foreign visitors dropped drastically, at least 50 foreign
investors had pulled out of investments since 2001 and the state-
owned Merpati airlines stopped its international flights from the
provincial capital, Kupang to Australia," he said.