Xanana to visit West Timor, seeking reconciliation
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang
East Timor figure Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao begins on Monday a three-day visit to East Nusa Tenggara with his main mission being reconciliation with East Timorese refugees and pro-Jakarta East Timor leaders in the province.
He will be accompanied by his wife and child.
Other East Timor leaders who are scheduled to go include Nobel Peace Laureate Bishop Mgr. Felipe Ximenes Belo, Baucau Bishop Mgr. Nascimento, Brig. Gen. Taur Matan Ruak and N. Parameswaran, chief of staff of the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET).
Nani Kosapilawan, spokeswoman for the provincial administration said Xanana and his entourage were scheduled to meet with the local administration, religious, military and police officials prior to their visit to refugee camps in several regencies of the province.
"First of all, Xanana will meet with East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piet A. Tallo, chairman of the provincial legislature Daniel Woda Palle, Provincial Police Chief Brig. Gen. Jacky Uly and Col. Moesanip, chief of the Wiraksakti Military District overseeing the province," she said in a press conference here on Sunday.
Nani said the East Timor delegation would also meet with Kupang Bishop Mgr. Petrus Turang and other religious figures from the Synod of the Masehi Injili Church as well as the local chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council.
She asserted that Xanana's main mission was to visit the more than 143,000 East Timorese refugees as well as some of the East Timor militia leaders currently in the province.
"The meeting between Xanana and the refugees will likely be centered in Kupang and he will likely cancel his visit to Atambua because of security concerns," she said.
She added that Xanana, who is expected to be the first president of Timor Lorosae -- the new name of the soon-to-be- independent country slated to become official in May 2002 -- will make the visit at the invitation of the East Timorese.
Xanana's visit was expected to encourage more refugees to return to their homeland in East Timor. Of the 295,000 refugees in the province that arrived in 1999, more than 142,000 have since returned.
The Indonesian government has decided to stop providing financial and rice aid to the refugees by the end of December, 2001, an attempt to speed up the repatriation of the refugees.
Those who choose to return home, will be given Rp 750,000 (US$72) per family in addition to rice while those who choose to stay in Indonesia will be treated as normal Indonesian citizens with no extra benefits. So far, the government has provided refugees with Rp 1,500 and 400 grams of rice per day per person, much of which was funded by the international community.
"The local military will help speed up the repatriation of East Timorese refugees as UNTAET and East Timor leaders have guaranteed their security upon their arrival home," Maj. Gen. Willem T. da Costa said recently.
Da Costa is chief of the Udayana Military Command supervising Bali, East and West Nusa Tenggara.
Both the local military and police have pledged to help step up security in the province during the delegation's visit to the province.
Jacky, chief of the Provincial Police, said a total of 592 security personnel would be deployed to secure Xanana's visit.
"Xanana indeed is not yet a president nor a head of state but the international community has recognized him as an East Timor leader. We have a moral obligation to maintain security during his visit," he said.
He added that besides holding a dialog with refugees, Xanana would also hold a reconciliatory meeting with ex-leaders of East Timor militias, including Dominggos M.D. Soares and Filomeno de Jesus da Hornay.
Moesanip said the local military would back up the local police to maintain security during Xanana's visit.
"The military will help the local police maintain the security because Xanana has good intentions to reconcile with the refugees and former East Timor militia leaders during his visit," he said.
Xanana and his entourage is scheduled to return back to Dili on Nov. 28, 2001.