UN envoys meet East Timorese refugees

UN envoys meet East Timorese refugees

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): A delegation sent by the
United Nations Security Council met and held talks on Tuesday
with East Timorese refugees in Indonesia's province of East Nusa
Tenggara.

The delegation, led by Namibian Martin Andjaba, visited the
Noelbeki refugee camp, about a half-hour's drive from Kupang, the
capital of NTT province.

The refugees welcomed the delegation and the entourage from
the local administration with curious look.

The visit of the foreign envoys to the area was first mooted
after an incident on Sept. 6, during which three United Nation
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) workers - an American, an
Ethiopian and a Croat - were slain and their office ransacked.

Around 400 hundred aid workers fled the area following the
incident.

The delegation was tasked with ascertaining just to what
extent the Indonesia government has complied with Security
Council resolution No. 1319, which requires the Indonesian
government to guarantee a safe environment for the tens of
thousands of East Timorese refugees who wish to return home.

The group's findings could also have a strong impact on
Indonesia's future ties with the international community.

But Andjaba said that regardless of the team's findings, they
would not recommend the Security Council take action against
Indonesia.

"We are not here to punish Indonesia or to recommend to the
Security Council to call for punishment," he told reporters
before leaving Dili for Kupang.

Andjaba said the UN team was seeking guarantees from
Indonesian authorities that they would ensure conditions were
safe enough to allow aid workers to return and help move the
refugees out of the squalid camps where they have been stranded
for 14 months.

"We want the UNHCR and all other humanitarian agencies to get
back to the camps so they can assist the refugees, in particular
with the repatriation of the refugees," he was quoted by AFP
before departing for Kupang.

Around 250,000 East Timorese crossed the border into West
Timor, where more than 120,000 remain, after violence ravaged
their homeland following a popular consultation which went
against Jakarta's autonomy offer in August last year.

Weapons

The delegation also visited NTT Police Headquarters on Tuesday
to view weapons confiscated from the prointegration fighters
groups in accordance with the Council's resolution.

Local security had launched raids on former members of the
prointegration militia groups after giving deadlines to
voluntarily surrender their weapons.

The seven-member mission was set to stay in NTT for two days.

They arrived at El Tari airport and was welcomed by Governor
Piet A. Tallo, Speaker of the NTT Council Daniel Woda Palle, the
Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri, Kupang Major
S.K. Lerik and other local officials.

The delegates met with the local administrative in a closed
door meeting at the Governor's office.

An official from the Foreign Ministry, Sujatna, told a press
conference that the administrative briefed the delegates on the
steps taken by government to deal with the refugees and the
disarmaments as stipulated by the UN Security Council Resolution
No. 1319.

During the closed meeting, Indonesia also disclosed that
prointegration fighters groups, not militia groups as they were
usually referred, had been dismissed and stern measures had been
taken to disarm the members, Sujatna said.

On Wednesday, the delegates were planned to visit Atambua,
which borders former Indonesian territory, East Timor. The
council mission will check on the Mota Ain border security post,
visit the Haliwen refugee camp and will also visit the damaged
UNHCR office.

After their two-day trip here, the UN team would head to
Jakarta to hold talks with defense minister Moh. Mahfud MD.
Mahfud said he would welcome the UN delegation's visit and would
meet them on Thursday.

The minister also denied Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers
were demanding money from refugees trying make their own way
home. (lem)