UNHCR neutral on East Timor refugees
UNHCR neutral on East Timor refugees
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang
The United Nations High Commission for refugees (UNHCR) has
adopted a neutral stance on the fate of 123 East Timorese who
have been refugees for three years in East Nusa Tenggara
province.
It would give its support if the refugees voluntarily choose
to go back to their homeland in East Timor or if they choose to
stay in Indonesia and join the local resettlement program.
Robert White, UNHCR representative in Indonesia, stated this
during a meeting with local officials to discuss the government's
plan to repatriate the refugees.
Also attending the meeting were East Nusa Tenggara Governor
Piet A. Tallo, Deputy Governor Johanes Pake Pani, Husein
Pancratius, chief of the local social affairs office, Budi
Achmadi Adiputra, a deputy of the coordinating minister for
people's welfare, and local military and police officials.
The meeting was held two weeks after the government terminated
its humanitarian assistance for the refugees on Jan. 1, 2002, and
set Jan. 31, 2002 as the deadline for choosing whether they would
go home or stay in Indonesia.
Robert hinted that the government should consider all
obstacles and problems the refugees would be facing if they chose
to leave the province for their homeland.
He said the government should use the upcoming Easter and East
Timor's planned independence as two major events for persuading
the refugees to join the repatriation program.
"We will provide our support if the local administration
starts publicizing these two important events so as to persuade
the refugees to go back home," he said.
Of the around 290,000 refugees who came to the province after
the 1999 ballot in East Timor, tens of thousands have already
returned home and a small part has joined the resettlement
program in other provinces. Meanwhile, more than 123,000 are
still languishing in camps in several regencies in the province.
Budi Achmadi said the government hoped that 90 percent of the
remaining refugees would choose to return to their homeland.