Refugee camps to be demolished

Refugee camps to be demolished

ATAMBUA, East Nusa Tenggara: A military team involved in Disasters and Refugees (PBP) in Belu regency, East Nusa Tenggara plans to demolish refugee camps in Tirta forest next week.

PBP operations commander Lt. Col. Tjuk Agus Minahasa said that the mainly East Timorese refugees would be moved to 276 houses in 18 resettlement sites in 10 districts of the regency.

We have persuaded the refugees to abandon the camps so, if they do not leave by Monday, we will take stern measures to remove them by force," Tjuk said.

The Belu administration asked Jakarta to stop the repatriation program for East Timorese refugees last week. Tjuk said that there were 267 families registered to join transmigration programs, wherein they would be resettled to other provinces.

Meanwhile, Piet Djami Rebo, a department head at the Ministry of Resettlement and Transmigration in East Nusa Tenggara said in Kupang that government had built some 4,000 houses for East Timorese refugees in Timor, Sumba and Alor islands.

He said that the government would build 1,000 more houses in the resettlement location this year using the controversial Rp 53 billion provided by the Japanese government. -- Antara