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Wed, 28 Dec 2005

JP/Xanana says refugees can opt to return home

Xanana says refugees can opt to return home

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

Timor Leste President Xanana Gusmao said on Tuesday that refugees from his country now living in East Nusa Tenggara province would be welcome to return home.

"It's up to the people to make the best decision. Timor Leste's doors are always open. A few years ago we urged them to come home, but now it is totally up to them to decide," he said during his one-day visit to the province where he met Governor Piet A. Tallo and other officials.

The call came just four days ahead of the end of the United Nations United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)'s humanitarian mission in the province after four years.

An estimated 250,000 people were forced to flee to the province during the violence that surrounded Timor Leste's UN- sponsored referendum in 1999. The majority of refugees have since returned home, but thousands opted to remain in Indonesia.

UNHCR's deputy regional representative, Henrik Nordentoft, said earlier this month that "special circumstances demonstrating an ongoing need for international protection and assistance for refugees no longer exists", AFP reported. Piet told reporters that around 104,436 Timorese refugees were still living in East Nusa Tenggara.

Speaking after meeting Xanana, where they also discussed other issues like border problems, Governor Piet A. Tallo said the government was still committed to assisting the refugees.

"With the end of the UNHCR mission on Dec. 31 this year, the government will remain committed to helping the refugees since their plight is a humanitarian problem that needs to be properly dealt with," Tallo said.

Separately, pro-integration groups hoped that Xanana's visit would bring peace and could bridge further reconciliation between two countries.

"As a Timor Leste citizen living in Indonesia, we ask Xanana to give fair treatment to us, including giving us freedom to visit Timor Leste without a passport or visa like foreigners," said Armindo Soares, a former East Timor council speaker.