More boat people repatriated

BATAM, Riau: A plane left on Wednesday carrying 211 Vietnamese boat people who were returning home after failing to secure refugee status and acceptance to live in the West.

The boat people came from the nearby Galang refugee island.

Over the last two months, 743 Vietnamese boat people on Galang have joined in the voluntary repatriation program, according to Antara.

A 26-year old Vietnamese, Liui Gia Duong, speaking in fluent Indonesian which he learned after five years on Galang, told Antara that he was not sure of what he planned to do upon returning home. Some of his relatives, he said, have made it to Australia. (emb)