'No intimidation of Timorese refugees'

'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.
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