Indonesia urged to speed up repatriation of East Timorese
Indonesia urged to speed up repatriation of East Timorese
JAKARTA (JP): Visiting United States Ambassador to the United
Nations Richard Holbrooke in a meeting with President Abdurrahman
Wahid on Saturday urged Indonesia to accelerate the repatriation
of East Timorese refugees still camped in East Nusa Tenggara.
Holbrooke, who arrived here earlier in the morning, said he
would be heading to the East Nusa Tenggara provincial capital of
Kupang on Sunday and visiting Atambua near the East Timor border
where many refugees are located.
He will go to Dili on Monday to meet with East Timor leaders
and UN personnel there before leaving the territory on Tuesday.
"We are very concerned about it but would rather reserve our
judgment until we get there," Holbrooke said of the refugee
situation.
Over 200,000 refugees are still living in various camps in the
Indonesian province.
Holbrooke is the first U.S. official to meet Abdurrahman in
Jakarta following the latter's meeting with President Bill
Clinton in Washington last week.
Clinton also raised the refugee question, and Abdurrahman
asked for assistance in sending back the refugees to their
homeland by providing air transportation.
The President has assigned Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri to visit the refugee camps on Wednesday before a
scheduled visit by East Timor leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana"
Gusmao later this month.
International organizations and human rights activists have
repeatedly accused prointegration militias of intimidating
refugees against returning to East Timor.
Many claim that the Indonesia security forces were not doing
enough to stop the activities of the militias.
Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Gen.
Wiranto insisted on Saturday that the Indonesian Military (TNI)
had disarmed the militias and would not allow them to use the
border area as a base to destabilize East Timor.
"We have told them (the militias) to return to East Timor and
establish their own political parties and compete with other
parties in general elections there," Wiranto said after attending
a Cabinet meeting at Bina Graha presidential office.
During the 60-minute meeting with Abdurrahman, Holbrooke was
accompanied by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Stanley Roth,
while the President was accompanied by State Minister of Human
Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad.
Apart from the refugee problem, Holbrooke also raised the Aceh
issue and asked about the government's intention to uphold
democracy and the rule of law.
"It is great to come to a democratic Indonesia where the
leadership is freely chosen," Holbrooke remarked.
Apart from Abdurrahman, Holbrooke also met on Saturday with
Megawati, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Shihab and Minister of
Defense Juwono Sudarsono. (prb)