UN praises TNI's help, but wants aid limits lifted

JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations praised the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Friday for its cooperation in distributing humanitarian aid to displaced persons in East Timor.

However, it also expressed hope that Jakarta would cease restrictions on the sending of food aid to the more than 170,00 refugees in East Nusa Tenggara.

The UN official in charge of coordinating relief operations, David McLachlan-Kerr, said in New York that the military assisted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in distributing food to Dare, about 10 kilometers south of Dili.

"They have secured the area for us. They have lent us trucks. We are talking to the government and the commanders on the ground," McLachlan-Karr said at UN Headquarters.

An ICRC spokeswoman told The Jakarta Post that between 80,000 and 90,000 people were sheltered in Dare with no apparent food supplies or access to clean water.

"We fear malnutrition and a possible epidemic there," Sri Wahyu Endah said, adding that the international organization would send a preliminary two-member medical team to the refugee location.

McLachlan-Karr said security and logistical problems would remain major obstacles to the delivery of the aid. The UN is asking governments to donate helicopters to transport food and other supplies to East Timor, he said.

"There is a lot of damage as a result of the violence. Much of it will have to be achieved by helicopter and we will be looking for helicopter support from governments," he was quoted as saying by AFP.

He said most of the vehicles belonging to the UN Assistance Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) were stolen or wrecked by pro- Jakarta militiamen after UNAMET pulled out of the territory on Tuesday.

The UN has adopted a sectoral approach to helping the refugees. Food and logistics will be under the command of the World Food Program (WFP), which coordinated the first airdrops of food into East Timor on Friday. It also organized second airdrops, consisting of 20 tons of food, in Ermera and Bobonaro on Saturday.

"The two missions were successfully completed," WFP staff Anna di Lellio told The Jakarta Post. She added that more airdrops of daily rations, rice, high protein biscuits and blankets would be made on Sunday and Monday.

Shelter and the protection of internally displaced people will be handled by the office of the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) and Unicef. The World Health Organization will be in charge of the needs of children, vulnerable groups, including areas of education and health.

Indonesia and the UN agreed on Friday to the direct delivery of humanitarian aid both to East Timor and neighboring East Nusa Tenggara. Jakarta still requires, however, clearance of the aid at the two airports in the province.

McLachlan-Karr said humanitarian organizations were negotiating with militia and TNI officials for permission to enter the camps in East Nusa Tenggara to assess the needs of the refugees.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata arrived in Jakarta on Saturday. She will fly to Kupang on Sunday, where she will visit a camp for displaced people and then proceed to Atambua before returning to Jakarta.

"I hope I can cooperate with the Indonesian government in helping the East Timorese refugees," she said upon her arrival at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Separately, East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piet Alexander Tallo said the government would soon resettle the refugees from Atambua and Kupang because the regencies were experiencing overpopulation problems.

He said the transmigration ministry agreed to provide Rp 7.5 billion to resettle the refugees in several areas, including Besikama, Haekulan and Haitimuk in Belu regency.

The governor reiterated his concerns about prointegration militiamen who were harassing locals and people in refugee camps.

"They are causing trouble for us," the governor said.

Parent are also worried about the interruption in the education of their children. Julius Sarmento, 33, a refugee from Dili, urged the government to open temporary schools.

"I do not want my two sons to become stupid people because they do not have a proper education like me," Julius said.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has announced that it will not open a special school for the children. (27/prb)