Indonesia, East Timor agree to demilitarize border

Indonesia, East Timor agree to demilitarize border

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

In line with the planned establishment of an independent East
Timor early next year, Indonesia and East Timor have agreed to
demilitarize their border areas to allow their people to visit
one another freely.

The bilateral agreement was reached in a meeting of Indonesian
and East Timorese officials in Atambua over the weekend.
Representing Indonesia were Coordinating Minister for People's
Welfare Jusuf Kalla, East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piet A. Tallo
and Maj. Gen. Willem T. da Costa, chief of the Udayana Military
Command overseeing Bali, West and East Nusa Tenggara. Present
for the East Timorese side were Jose Ramos Horta, foreign
minister of the UN Transition Administration in East Timor
(UNTAET) and Brig. Gen. Taur Matan Ruak, chief of the East Timor
Armed Forces.

Da Costa said Indonesia would pull out 1,500 troops stationed
in the border region while UNTAET would withdraw all Australian
and New Zealand personnel stationed in the border region as part
of the UN peace-keeping force.

"The coordination of the withdrawal of security personnel from
the border areas has been made in our meeting with Ramos Horta
and Gen. Taur in Atambua. The important thing is that both sides
agreed to insert stakes along the two countries' demarcation
line. We agreed to keep the borderline open for our people to
cross freely, like the one between Malaysia's Johor and
Singapore," he said in the city on Monday.

He said the government would establish only an office to give
immigration and tax services for border crossers.

In Dili, East Timorese leader Jose Alexandre Xanana Gusmao
hailed the agreement, saying it would allow people living in the
border areas to visit one another and to carry out business
activities.

"The time will come later when the borderline is no longer
guarded by soldiers but by stakes erected to mark the two
countries' borderline," he said recently, referring to the some
8,000 personnel of the peace-keeping force stationed in the
border areas who would be withdrawn following the formation of
the East Timorese state early in 2002.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday the provincial administration finally
provided a clarification of the number of East Timorese refugees
remaining in the province. It said the total number of East
Timorese refugees still remaining in the province was 143,803.

Husein Pancratius, chief of the local social affairs ministry
office, said that, of the 143,803 refugees, 9,304 were in Kupang
city, 5,080 in South Timor Tengah Regency, 50, 412 in Kupang
Regency, 59,490 in Belu Regency, 18, 129 in North Timor Tengah
Regency and 429 in Alor Island.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nua Wea recently
alleged that certain local officials had intentionally marked up
the number of East Timorese refugees to gain "financial benefits"
at the refugees' expense.

The government has provided Rp 1,500 and 400 grams of rice per
day per person for the refugees.

Husein said that around 2,000 refugees had returned to their
home territory this October while a majority of the remaining
refugees were expected to follow suit in the coming months.

"The refugees are expected to go back home after learning that
those who have already returned to East Timor have received
humane treatment," he said.