Provinces offer a place to call home for refugees
Provinces offer a place to call home for refugees
KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): Five provinces outside of
East Nusa Tenggara have offered places for East Timor refugees
who have chosen to stay in Indonesia, an official said on Monday.
Head of the province's Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration
office, Yoseph Setyohadi, identified the provinces as South
Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, Irian Jaya and
Maluku.
"The East Nusa Tenggara government will follow up the offer as
soon as possible and send the refugees to the new settlement
areas," Yoseph said.
He gave no details about when the refugees would depart for
their new homes and how many people each province could
accommodate.
Separately, former pro-Jakarta East Timor leader Eurico
Guterres demanded that the government act consistently in
handling the refugees.
He was commenting on certain government officials who
expressed doubts over Jakarta's capability to host all of the
East Timorese who had opted to remain in Indonesia.
Over 98 percent of the 105,800 registrants voted for
Indonesian citizenship last month. Of some 250,000 refugees who
flocked to West Timor following a rampage of violence in 1999,
only adults were eligible for registration.
Eurico insisted that the central government immediately
proceed with the resettlement program and repatriate those who
wished to return to East Timor.
"Nobody should suspect political maneuvers had a hand in the
results of the registration. None of the refugees were
intimidated or forced to stay with Indonesia.
"A lot of funds have been disbursed by both the government and
international organizations to cope with the refugee problem. But
the matter has worsened now, indicating the presence of dishonest
people who work under the guise of humanitarian causes.
During his visit to Kupang last week, Coordinating Minister
for Social, Political and Security Affairs Agum Gumelar said the
government was determined to take immediate steps toward settling
the issue of East Timorese refugees in West Timor.
"Their living conditions are very unfavorable. The government
will adopt better measures to relieve their suffering," said Agum
after inspecting refugee camps in Haliwen-Atambua, Belu regency.
(30)