Refugees picket governor's office

Refugees picket governor's office

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

Hundreds of hungry East Timorese refugees thronged the East Nusa
Tenggara (NTT) governor's office compound on Saturday to protest
the government's unilateral decision to stop providing
humanitarian aid.

Crying for food, the visibly impoverished refugees arrived at
the compound at 10:30 a.m. in three trucks and a bus. Some of
them rode motorcycles.

"We are hungry. We ask for food. We will stay here until the
government gives aid (to us)," they yelled.

The government stopped channeling food aid to the refugees six
months ago due to budget constraints.

The demonstrators, particularly women, brought with them
jerricans containing drinking water and buckets containing boiled
cassava, papaya leaves, papaya and gourd.

Fernandez, one of the protesting refugees, said they would
stay in the compound until their demands were met.

"Even if we have to die and be buried here, we will stay until
the government resumes the provision of humanitarian aid for
refugee camps," Fernandez said.

After negotiating with security personnel, 20 of the refugees
were allowed to enter the governor's office where they were met
by the first assistant to the provincial secretary Djidon de
Haan.

During the meeting, Djidon said that the provincial government
had no intention of letting the East Timorese refugees live in
misery.

"The East Nusa Tenggara government wants the refugees to
continue to receive aid but it could not do anything since the
decision was made by the central government," he said.

Djidon suggested that the central government continue to
provide food aid to the East Timorese refugees because they fled
to East Nusa Tenggara due to political conflict in East Timor.

The East Timorese refugees are different from displaced people
from other parts of Indonesia, he said.

"So our stand is clear. We want them to continue to receive
aid, but it is not in our hands. If we are forced to provide food
right now, where will the governor get the money from to do
that?" he asked.

Around 250,000 East Timorese fled to NTT in September 1999
following the bloody rampages of pro-Indonesia militia members
angered by the result of the United Nations-organized referendum,
in which the majority of East Timorese voted to break away from
Indonesia.

The rampages also claimed dozens of lives and destroyed almost
80 percent of infrastructure in the former 27th province of
Indonesia.

Currently there are only around 35,000 refugees still living
in makeshift refugee camps in West Timor as most refugees have
returned to East Timor, which gained full independence on May 20.