Kefa a comfortable and safe place to take refuge
Kefa a comfortable and safe place to take refuge
By Jupriadi
KEFA, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): This small town in the North
Central Timor regency of East Nusa Tenggara is the third biggest
refugee center after Atambua and Kupang.
Official figures show that as of Sept. 23, the number of
refugees flocking to this town, located some 196 km north of
Kupang, stood at 6,517 families or 28,460 people, greater in
number than its own population of 27,891 people.
It is expected that the number could swell if security in the
refugee camps along the border area of Atambua, now a shooting
venue for both proindependence and prointegration militias,
worsens.
Why is Kefa so "popular"? Firstly, it only takes two hours of
an overland trip and secondly, it is home to the Naen refugee
camp, which is now the best refugee camp in East Nusa Tenggara.
The 20 hectare Naen camp, located in the Kefamenani
subdistrict some 6 km east of Kefa, now accommodates some 8,000
refugees. It is better equipped than other camps in the Kupang
municipality, those of Noelbaki, Baubau, Naibonat, Soe and even
Atambua.
The Naen camp, located near a river with flowing pristine
water, is provided with medical and semipermanent residential
facilities. 11 doctors from the Association of Medical Doctors of
Asia-Indonesia (AMDA-Indonesia), made up of various medical
specialists from Hasanuddin University in Ujungpandang, South
Sulawesi, are on duty 24 hours a day.
Within the first five days of their assignment at this refugee
camp, these medical specialists made a lot of progress as they
could cut by 30 percent some 150 cases of illnesses found in the
camp, such as malaria, diarrhea and infections of the respiratory
tract.
Apart from a well-equipped medical team, the Naen refugee camp
has also received aid from various domestic and foreign non-
governmental organizations such as Unicef, Care and MSFB in the
form of clean water facilities, supplies of daily necessities,
tents and mats.
According to Dr. Valens Parera, head of the health service of
North Central Timor, this camp has been specially designed as a
model refugee camp.
Jointly managed by various government agencies like the social
affairs ministry, the health ministry, the public works ministry
and the North Central Timor regency administration, this camp is
designed such that it, hopefully, will not create envy among the
local inhabitants.
"The design began when the influx of refugees got bigger and
bigger," he said.
Therefore, Naen has become a favorite destination among
refugees. Da Silva, 27, for example, said that he had moved from
the refugee camp set up at Haliwen mini stadium n Atambua because
Naen offered better facilities, especially in terms of health and
food.
As a greater number of refugees have moved to Naen, Kefa has
now become the most densely populated town in the North Central
Timor regency. This town, otherwise quiet and lonely, has become
crowded and noisy.
Traffic in the town, whose population density is recorded at
353 people/square km, has become unusually busy with buses and
motorized vehicles carrying refugees from Dili and also with
convoys of military troops.
"We never thought that refugees would be coming to Naen in
such great numbers," said North Central Timor regent, Anton
Amaunut. He said that the regency administration had found it
difficult to cope with all the refugees.
Apart from a limited fund, the regency administration has
found it difficult to make available at least 15,000 blankets,
tents and household utensils.
With the presence of the refugees, Kefa is now no longer as
comfortable and safe as it was. As some of the refugees are
militiamen, they often create disorder and disturbances in the
town.
Some refugees tout crude guns and sharp weapons, causing fear
and apprehension among the locals.
"Since the arrival of the refugees, locals are now afraid to
leave town," Imelda Berek, 24, an employee at the Kefa branch
office of state telecommunications company Telkom said.
Town residents have been gripped by rumors that the
proindependence militias had left their hideouts in the
mountains, entered the border area and had waged terror.
Kefa is also a transit town for the families of members of the
Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Indonesian Police Force from
Oekusi, East Timor.
"We have heard that (East Timorese proindependence militia)
Falintil will enter the town and kidnap families of TNI and the
police. We hope that they will not kidnap the wrong people," said
Ramil, a peddler selling sundries at Pasar Lama market in Kefa.
On Sept. 19, a group of angry youths of Kefa went to the local
police and lodged a strong protest because the police had let the
militias and refugees fire their guns in the air. The sound of
gunshots caused panic among the town residents.
Tension continued as the next day a Kefa resident, Dom Rubi,
25, died from a stab wound. The townspeople grew angry. They
barricaded roads and checked on every passerby.
Responding to persisting rumors about impending attacks on the
refugees, the North Central Timor regent called on Kefa residents
to confine themselves to their homes from 6.00 p.m.