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.