Humanitarian group evaluates conditions in refugee camps
Humanitarian group evaluates conditions in refugee camps
JAKARTA (JP): Humanitarian workers visited a refugee camp in
Atambua on on the border of East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor on
Wednesday.
Accompanied by Minister of Social Affairs Justika Baharsyah,
the 16-member delegation led by Julia Taft visited some 2,500
refugees sheltered in Haliwen stadium.
Haliwen refugees coordinator Esperansa Lopez told the
delegation the refugee camp lacked clean water, cooking utensils
and mats, and that there was a threat of disease.
"Some refugees are suffering from malaria, diarrhea and
tuberculosis," Lopez told the delegation, which consisted of
representatives from the United States, Sweden, Japan, the United
Kingdom, Thailand and Australia.
Taft, also an assistant to the U.S state secretary, said
humanitarian aid would be dispatched to the refugees through the
Indonesian government.
Over 200,000 East Timorese refugees streamed into East Nusa
Tenggara to escape violence devastating their homeland following
the announcement of the result of the Aug. 30 referendum, in
which Indonesia's offer of wide-ranging autonomy was rejected.
President B.J. Habibie, meanwhile, offered East Timorese
refugees the opportunity to be relocated to various settlement
areas across the country.
After officiating at an evaluation meeting on the
implementation of transmigration here on Wednesday, Habibie made
an offer of transmigration to Antonio da Silva, an East Timorese
refugee who was present at the occasion.
"We are ashamed to be continuously fed and supplied in the
camps," Antonio said. Antonio expressed hope that he might be
allowed to return to his hometown of Ainaro, East Timor.
The President officiated at ceremonies at various
transmigration settlement sites to hand over the sites to 16
governors, whose regions are destinations of transmigrants.
Minister of Transmigration AM Hendropriyono said that during
the 1999/2000 fiscal year, 81 transmigration villages housing
27,626 families or 115,149 people had been handed over to the
provincial governments in 16 provinces.
Psychological pressure
In East Nusa Tenggara, security officers and medical experts
shared their concerns over psychological pressure affecting
troops withdrawn from East Timor. They also demanded military
leaders in Jakarta take concrete steps in dealing with the
matter.
"It is very hard for the boys in the field to get a grip on
themselves. Many Indonesian Military and police officers are
stressed out, especially so after the ballot results were
announced," said a lieutenant colonel in Oekusi, a town of
Ambeno.
Ambeno is an East Timor enclave in East Nusa Tenggara.
"We're feel like we're losing a war here. We don't sleep or
eat well as we lack supplies," the officer, who requested
anonymity, said.
"Do not blame them if they do something shocking," he added.
Middle-ranking officers are also apparently under a lot of
stress.
Viqueque military district commander Maj. Nico was reportedly
admitted to W.Z. Yohanes General Hospital in Kupang on Sunday
after he became upset and punched a window at his house.
Paramedics said Nico was under a lot of stress.
On Sunday, a group of exhausted Mobile Brigade police fired in
the air in frustration. Their behavior caused an electricity
blackout when their bullets cut through an electricity cable on
Jl. Basuki Rahmat in Atambua.
Nuralim Mallapasi, chief of the Association of Medical Doctors
of Asia (AMDA) said the soldiers and police officers'
disappointment over events was clearly written all over their
faces.
"They feel abandon and as though nobody cares about them. They
don't even have enough food to support them," Nuralim said.
(27/edt)