'No intimidation of Timorese refugees'

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. Willem T. da Costa denied on Wednesday the military intimidated East Timorese refugees into choosing to remain in Indonesia during last week's registration.

He also refuted claims that military personnel took part in the registration, accounting for what many see as an unexpected increase in the number of "refugees" participating in the registration.

Speaking during a visit here, he said the Indonesian Military was not directly involved in organizing the registration, rather serving only to maintain public security and state defense.

"We will take action against any military personnel implicated in acts of intimidation, whatever the motive may be, as long as there is adequate evidence," he assured.

The number of refugees taking part in the registration process was considered by some as higher than expected. There have been allegations that this increase was the result of military personnel, police officers, civil servants and teachers taking part in the registration.

A total of 113,794, or 38.48 percent of 295,751 East Timorese refugees, were eligible to take part in the registration to decide whether they would remain in Indonesia or return to East Timor.

Only 1.10 percent of the refugees, or 1,250 people, chose to return to East Timor, while 111,540 (98.02 percent) refugees decided to remain in Indonesia and 714 people (0.63 percent) abstained.

Willem expressed surprise that some of the refugees had refused to opt either to return to East Timor or become Indonesian citizens.

"I want to visit their camps and talk to them to find out their reason for abstaining," he said.

To ensure the safety of the 1,250 East Timor-bound refugees, Willem raised the possibility of setting up transit camps. This follows reports of parties threatening those who opted to return to East Timor.

The spokesman for the provincial administration, JB Kosapilawan, said those refugees planning to return to East Timor would be assisted by the International Organization for Migrants and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

He said that upon their arrival in East Timor, the refugees would be quarantined before being sent home to ascertain their housing situation.

According to him, the UNHCR will help rebuild destroyed houses, with food aid being provided by the East Timor transitional government.

For those refugees who chose to remain in Indonesia, the government will relocate them to transmigration areas in East Nusa Tenggara, Sumatra, Kalimantan and other locations, Kosapilawan said.

In these resettlement areas, they will receive aid in the form of kitchen utensils, farm tools and livestock breeding equipment, as well as food.

Those refugees who abstained are regarded as economically established, independent people, he said.

"Their postregistration rights, in fact, are not regulated because of their economic status. But their nationality remains a question that has yet to be resolved," the spokesman concluded. (30)