Mount Egon refugees refuse to go home

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