W. Timor Military consoles pro-RI Timorese refugees

W. Timor Military consoles pro-RI Timorese refugees

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

East Nusa Tenggara Military district chief Col. Moeswarno
Moesanip consoled some 30,000 prointegration East Timorese
refugees who were politically estranged in West Timor following
East Timor's independence on Monday, saying all sides, including
the military must accept the reality.

"The former Timorese political elite, including veterans,
should be introspective over our past faults that caused the
territory's separation from Indonesia. "We (the Indonesian
Military) are the worst hit but we must swallow the bitter pill,"
he said in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday.

The refugees, mostly former tribal chiefs, militiamen and
officials, have declined to return home after hopes faded of
being able to annul the independence. They also protested
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's visit to Dili to join world
leaders in witnessing the birth of the new nation.

Some 7,000 ex-militiamen and 3,560 ex-servicemen who had taken
refuge in West Timor returned home moments before the
independence celebration.

Moesanip said the refugees should not turn their back on the
past because such an action will disrupt their future. The most
important thing now is how to develop the economy and maintain
better ties with the neighboring country, he asserted.

He warned that whatever had happened in East Timor certainly
had a negative impact on Indonesia. He said the Timorese were
expected to look to Indonesia in the terms of language,
legislation, trade and culture.

He said East Timor was expected to develop its economy in
cooperation with Indonesia as Nepal did with India.

"East Timor's economy will remain interconnected with
Indonesia, rather than Australia, the United States and
Portugal," he said.

Concerning people living in the two countries' border areas,
he said it would be better for Indonesia and Timor to require
only a border pass to cross the border areas because they were
part of one family.

"It looks impossible to separate the two countries," he said.

Meanwhile, the provincial administration will extend the
repatriation program until Nov. 20, 2002, to allow the refugees
to return home.

"After six months from now, the Indonesian government will ask
the remaining refugees to make their choice whether they wish to
join the settlement program or go back home.

"If they go back now the provincial administration will no
longer provide financial assistance because foreign donors have
stopped their donations for the program," Stanis Tefa, chief of
social affairs bureau at the provincial administration said.

He said refugees who declined to return home in the next six
months would be presumed to be Indonesia citizens and they would
be asked to join the resettlement program to transfer to other
provinces.