Mount Egon refugees refuse to go home

Tue, 13 Jul 2004, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: More than 1,200 Mount Egon
refugees in Sikka regency ignored on Monday a government call for
them to return to their homes on the slopes of the 1,700-meter-
high mountain, although Mount Egon's activity has been very low
in the past few days.

The refugees insisted on staying at refugee camps and other
safe places in Sikka regency, for fear of more eruptions, said
Stef Badjo, the head of the Disaster Mitigation and Refugee
Handling Task Force at the Sikka administration.

Mount Egon erupted last week, belching thick smoke and hot ash
onto villages surrounding the mountain. An eruption also occurred
in February this year. -- JP

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