UNHCR lies: Tribe head

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