Refugees rally over Japanese humanitarian aid
Refugees rally over Japanese humanitarian aid
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara
Dozens of people claiming to represent thousands of East
Timorese refugees sheltering in camps in West Timor rallied at
the gubernatorial office in the regional capital of Kupang on
Tuesday to demand a quick disbursement of US$5.38 in humanitarian
aid from the Japanese government.
The group, calling themselves the Presidium of East Timor
Refugees, urged the provincial government to pressure Jakarta to
use the funds to feed the refugees, who they claimed were
starving.
Coordinator of the demonstration, Hukman Reni, told The
Jakarta Post the refugees did not intend to challenge Jakarta's
policy, but they questioned the Indonesian government's slowness
in addressing the refugee problems.
"Over the past week, refugees have been suffering from hunger.
It is no longer a threat but a serious reality after two people
who lived in refugee camps in Tuapukan and Noelbaki died,"
Hukman, an advisor of the refugees, said.
Indonesia has set an Aug. 31 deadline for some 50,000 East
Timorese refugees who remain in shelters across the province to
choose between repatriation and resettlement. Jakarta has stopped
supplying humanitarian aid due to financial constraints.
About 250,000 East Timorese streamed into neighboring West
Timor after violence ravaged their homes in the aftermath of the
independence vote to split from Indonesia in 1999.
Social affairs assistant to the provincial secretary, Stanis
Tefa, said the local government had forwarded the refugees'
demands to the National Refugees Settlement Coordinating Body in
Jakarta.
"We just execute Jakarta policies. It's up to the central
government whether the Japanese aid will be disbursed to help the
refugees," Stanis said.
A deputy to the coordinating body's chief, Budi Atmadi
Adiputro, said in his letter to Coordinating Minister for
People's Welfare Yusuf Kalla, dated July 3, that the Japanese
humanitarian aid would be used mainly to repatriate the refugees
and to help them develop their resources.
The money has been placed in an account with state bank BNI in
Harmoni, Central Jakarta, Budi said.
Following widespread concern about the use of the aid,
Japanese government treasury official Yasuhiro Sugata will arrive
in Indonesia on Wednesday to review the use of its use. His visit
has been arranged by the Japanese Embassy in Indonesia.