Refugees want transparency

MAUMERE, East Nusa Tenggara: As many as 598 families of East Timor refugees in the regency of Sikka are demanding the administration be fair and transparent in the spending of Rp 2 billion allocated to them.

Romanus Nong, spokesman for the refugees said on Friday he and two others representing the refugees had just met with Regent Paulus Moa. "We told the regent to be fair and open in the distribution of the money or we will take legal steps," Romanus said.

According to a reliable source, the money had been improperly utilized as a total of Rp 260 million of the funds had been used to finance a bus terminal renovation project and another Rp 900 million had been used for constructing and renovating markets in the districts of Talibura, Paga and Maumere.

The rest of the money had been used for supplying clean water and other regency development works, the source said.

Romanus said chairman of the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Development Planning Board had said in an official letter dated June 9, 2000 that the Rp 2 billion fund for the refugees must not be used for other purposes. (yac/sur)