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.