| Subject: East
Timorese urged to decide on nationality
Jakarta Post December 28, 1999
East Timorese urged to decide on
nationality
JAKARTA (JP): The government has urged
East Timorese refugees to choose whether they want to be repatriated or
remain in Indonesia, hoping to settle the aggravating issue before the new
fiscal year starts on April 1, 2000.
Coordinating Minister for People's
Welfare and Poverty Eradication Basri Hasanuddin told reporters on Monday
that the government would issue a regulation instructing refugees to
declare their choice of nationality.
"We have to cope with the refugee
problem by April, otherwise this (situation) will be more difficult for us
to tackle," he said.
He indicated, however, that if necessary
the government would extend the deadline to the next fiscal year for East
Timorese to make their choice.
Basri said the draft of the regulation
was being drawn up by the Ministry of Law and Legislation.
He was speaking after attending a
ministerial meeting on security and political affairs presided over by the
coordinating minister of security and political affairs, Wiranto.
While announcing the regulation would be
a presidential decree, Wiranto gave no details about it or when it would
take effect.
"I think this (decree) needs wise
deliberation, because it will deal with a few aspects, in particular
psychological ones. We don't want the decree to offend our East Timorese
brothers," Wiranto said.
Basri said some 130,000 East Timorese
remained sheltered in refugee centers across East Nusa Tenggara, which
abuts the former Portuguese colony. They were some of the over 260,000
people to flee their violence- devastated hometown following the Aug. 30
ballot which saw a majority vote against wide-ranging autonomy offered by
Indonesia.
The East Timorese refugees are being
treated as Indonesian citizens until they opt to be otherwise, according
to Basri. The current state budget allocates Rp 20 million for each
displaced person nationwide.
State Minister of Transmigration and
Population Al Hilal Hamdi estimated earlier this month the number of
refugees across the country at 422,000. He said a resettlement program for
displaced people would start in March.
Basri said the government was hoping
international humanitarian agencies would maintain their assistance for
the repatriation of East Timor refugees, which has been conducted since
September.
Separately, a team from the National
Commission for Children's Protection (Komnas PA) expressed concern over
the fate of displaced children. In a statement on Monday, an executive
director of the commission, Arist Merdeka Sirait, said children had
suffered the most in the various riots that rocked the country.
"Children suffer not only from
traumatic experiences, but physical problems like the shortage of food,
water and shelter," Arist said in Medan.
The commission promotes protection for
children refugees in Aceh. There were 375 children among 20,433 people
fleeing Aceh following mounting clashes in the restive province. (04/39/emf)
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