President to visit RI-E. Timor border area

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri was scheduled to visit Belu in West Timor in May to have a firsthand look at the development programs in the regency bordering East Timor, after attending East Timor's independence celebration.

Belu Regent Marsellus Bere said that according to his information from the East Nusa Tenggara provincial administration, the President would make the visit after attending the inauguration of Xanana Gusmao as the country's first president and the new country's independence celebration on May 20, 2002.

He said that besides installing the Benanain bridge in Central Malaka Subdistrict in the regency and a water reservoir project in Kupang regency, the president would make a tour to a number of villages along the border areas with East Timor.

The bridge was rebuilt after being damaged by a flood in May, 2000.

"We are making necessary preparations to greet the president," Bere said as quoted by Antara on Saturday.

The regent declined to answer whether the president would hold talks with local government and military officials to help repatriate the tens of thousands (The UNHCR claims there are 55,000 and Kupang officials claim over 100,000) of East Timorese people still in the province.

He said the president's historic visit was expected to give a moral boost to local people and officials to accelerate the development programs in the border area.

Joachim Lopez, secretary of the Belu administration, hailed the importance of developing the border areas in anticipation of East Timor's independence.

"We have proposed to the central government the development of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and markets in an anticipation of a new trade development with East Timorese people living in villages bordering Indonesia," he said, saying it would be a golden opportunity for the government to help improve the social welfare of local people.

He said that the central government had not yet responded to the proposal.

Blasius Joseph Manek, deputy chairman of the Belu regency legislative council, said besides giving a morale boost to local officials and people, the president was also expected to make a visit to the refugee camps to help convince the refugees that East Timor was secure to live in.

"The president's visit is also expected to encourage the refugees to go back home," he said.

He said tens of thousands of East Timorese refugees have refused to make a clear choice for returning to their homeland due to a perceived fear of reprisals as many were involved with the militia mayhem in 1999.

Despite the fears, some 3,000 East Timorese families recently have registered for repatriation.

Col. Moeswarno Moesanip, chief of the East Nusa Tenggara Military District, expects a majority of the refugees to return after the inauguration of Xanana.

Meanwhile, 22 delegates from East Timor's Liquisa district were at the refugee camps over the weekend trying to allay any fears that refugees have of returning.

Eurora Ximenes who led the delegation, said their main mission in the regency was to facilitate reconciliation with refugees who were from Liquisa.

"We want them (the refugees) to return home to develop their home country and celebrate independence with us on May 20," she said.

Lt. Col. Didi Sudiana, chief of the Belu Military Subdistrict, appreciated the reconciliatory mission, saying East Timorese authorities and UNHCR should send more such district-specific delegations until all refugees returned home.

"We will continue persuading the remaining refugees to go back home to resume their new life in their homeland, instead of the uncertainty in the refugee camps," he said.