Xanana greets 800 ex-militia and families

Xanana greets 800 ex-militia and families

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Atambua

At least 800 East Timorese refugees, formerly grouped under the
Mahidi militia group from Ainaro regency, returned to their
homeland on Wednesday and received a special welcome from East
Timorese leaders.

Led by their former commander Nomencio Lopes de Carvalho, the
former Mahidi militia members and their families were received by
prominent East Timor figures in a special ceremony held in the
border village of Sahlele, some 60 kilometers south of
Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara town Atambua.

Mahidi is an acronym for mati hidup untuk Indonesia, meaning
life or death for Indonesia.

Welcoming the refugees were independence leader Xanana Gusmao,
Constituency Council President Fansisco Guteres, Defense
Commander Brig. Gen. Taur Matan Ruak, acting Minister of Home
Affairs Antonio Ximenes, UN (Untaet) official N. Parameswaran and
Attorney General's Office head Muhamad Othman.

Indonesian representatives at the ceremony included Udayana
Military Commander Maj. Gen. Willem T. da Costa, East Nusa
Tenggara (NTT) Governor Piet A. Tallo, NTT provincial legislative
council speaker Daniel Woda Palle and Belu Regent Marsel Bere.

Nomencio told The Jakarta Post before he crossed the border
that it was the group's own decision to return to their homeland
and, therefore, they were prepared to face any legal
consequences.

"If our brothers in East Timor believe that we have made
mistakes in the past then we must be ready to face the legal
process. And I appeal to the authorities to immediately proceed
with the legal process," he said.

"But," he added, "the most important thing for us is that our
East Timorese brothers want to live a peaceful life and welcome
the return of East Timorese living in camps in Indonesia's
western part of Timor."

Separately, Xanana said that East Timorese people were
prepared to accept the return of the refugees.

"I have to stress that my presence together with other leaders
of East Timor, the president of the Constituency Council, the
head of the Attorney General's Office, the defense commander and
others in this ceremony, is to show our sincerity ... that we are
longing for a reunion with our brothers now living in several
parts of Indonesia," he said.

He promised to work hard to provide a better life and
protection for refugees returning to become citizens of East
Timor.

Constituency Council President Fansisco Guteres told the Post
that the council would not question the return of former pro-
Jakarta refugees.

"Their return is very valuable for the future of East Timor.
We will close our eyes to what has happened in the past, because
we will make peace and togetherness a pattern of our lives," he
said.

Meanwhile, Parameswaran said that refugees returning home
would be dealt with according to the existing law.

He said that those who had once committed any violations would
be dealt with accordingly, while those found innocent would be
allowed to return to their homes and reclaim property left in the
wake of the post-ballot mayhem.

Dozens of people were killed and hundreds of thousands of
others left their homes to seek refuge in East Nusa Tenggara when
pro-Jakarta militia groups ravaged the former Indonesian province
in reaction to what they claimed as being the United Nations
siding with pro-independence supporters in August, 1999.

Another group of 600 refugees will also return to East Timor
through the Sahlele checkpoint on Thursday.