More E. Timor refugees to go home

More E. Timor refugees to go home

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Around 900 East Timorese refugees will go back to their home villages in the district of Baucau, East Timor, in the immediate future.

Leonel Guterres, a coordinator of refugees in Naibonat, said he and 900 refugees would return to East Timor in December.

"We have met with coordinators of refugees in many other camps last week and agreed to return to our homeland in December," he said here recently.

Since last June, a total of 8,000 refugees have returned to their homeland after staying in numerous camps in the province for three years. Of 295,000 East Timorese taking refuge in Indonesia, around 143,000 have yet to choose to stay in Indonesia or to return home.

The government has recently offered Rp 500,000 and a sack of rice to every refugee who wants to go back to their homeland, while East Timor authorities have guaranteed the security of all those who return home. --Antara