Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring

June 18, 2002, Tuesday

Indonesia to remove 600 army personnel from East Timor refugee camps

Kompas Cyber Media web site, Jakarta, in Indonesian 18 Jun 02

Excerpt from unattributed report entitled: "600 Army personnel to be removed from East Timor refugee camps", published by Indonesian newspaper Kompas Cyber Media web site (www.kompas.com) on 18 June

Kupang: Up to 600 of the 1,500 TNI Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Indonesian National Military Forces personnel, originally from East Timor, who are currently living with other refugees in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) refugee camps will be removed from their refugee camps in the near future. This policy is part of implementing the plan to decommission the refugee camps this year.

Commander 162/Wirasakti (NTT) Military Provincial Command Col Moesanip told journalists this in Kupang on Monday (17 June). "The removal of army personnel, originally from East Timor, who are currently in the camps will be carried out after the construction of accommodation for them is completed at Military District Commands. The allocation of funds to construct the accommodation has been made and the construction of basic houses will be started this week," explained Moesanip.

He claimed that the removal of TNI personnel, originating from East Timor, from the camps should have been carried out much earlier, following the exodus from East Timor almost three years ago. However, that could not be achieved because of financial difficulties. Therefore in the mean time they were forced to let them to stay or join up with other refugees in the refugee camps.

He said that TNI personnel originating from East Timor, who were currently living in the camps, were still under the control of the closest unit. Whilst there they had also been specially tasked to lessen the likelihood of possible conflicts or flare ups amongst the refugees. Even so, sometimes members were involved in acts of provocation resulting in tension, conflict between refugees and the local community or between the refugees themselves...

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