UNHCR lies: Tribe head

JAKARTA: Head of the Rendu tribe in East Nusa Tenggara, Vincent Herman Mosa Foa, along with his family, has been stranded in Jakarta since Aug. 1, 2001, following his participation in the 19th Session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva, Switzerland in July.

A release from the Coalition of Indonesian Women for Justice and Democracy said on Monday that the family -- Mosa Foa, his wife and three children -- had failed to return home as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) had yet to issue airline tickets for the flight from Jakarta to Flores, capital of East Nusa Tenggara, as had been promised earlier.

During their stay in Jakarta, they have had to move constantly. Members of the family have become ill and depressed with the situation.

Mosa Foa has demanded that the UNHCR pay for the airline tickets, worth US$800, and provide compensation of $200 per day for the family's five and a half month stay in Jakarta.

He also demanded that UNHCR issue an apology for the incident in national newspapers for three consecutive days in February and pay $1 million compensation for 'moral damage.' Should his demands not be met, Mosa Foa plans to sue UNHCR. -- JP