Refugees will be returned to Galang

Refugees will be returned to Galang

JAKARTA (JP): Five Vietnamese refugees, who were stranded in
East Timor on their way from Galang to Australia, will soon be
sent back to Galang Island in Riau.

The refugees were stranded on the island on July 9 after the
boat which was taking them to Australia was washed ashore.

The deputy commander of the East Timor Military Command, Col.
Gleny Kairupan, told the Antara news agency in Dili over the
weekend that the boat was smashed by a powerful storm and high
waves before it drifted ashore.

"Its steering wheel was broken during the calamity," he said.

Kairupan said the refugees, whose ages range between 28 and 40
years, had been questioned by immigration and police officers.
The questioning was witnessed by officials of the Indonesian Red
Cross and the International Committee of Red Cross Committee
(PMI-ICRC).

Their return to Galang will be organized by the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees.

According to Kairupan, when the Australia-bound boat got into
trouble in the southeast Maluku waters, it was helped by two
local fishing boats.

They were later transferred to the naval base in Dili. "They
are now sheltered at the office of the PMI-ICRC for a week," an
official of the office said. (tis)