Timorese continue protests

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: East Timorese refugees living in various camps in West Timor continued with their protests on Tuesday, demanding aid from the government for some 20,000 refugee families, or some 54,000 refugees in all.

Tuesday's protest was the third since Saturday.

Protest coordinator Feliks Fernandez told reporters that they would continue their protests until the government heeded their demands.

"We feel we are being neglected by the government," he said, adding that refugees had had a tough time of it since the government halted official aid to them at the end of last year.

The government has adamantly stated that it will not resume aid to the refugees, and has asked them to choose whether they want to return to East Timor or join a government resettlement program.

Meanwhile, the head of East Nusa Tenggara's Social Affairs Office, Stanis Tefa, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the local administration might consider providing emergency aid to the refugees.

He said his office had offered to provide eight tons of rice to the refugees, but the offer was rejected by representatives of the refugees who had instead demanded continuing assistance. -- JP