ormer ETimor Refugees Demand Govt Attention as Thousands Protest in Atambua

The Jakarta Post

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Former East Timor Refugees Demand Govt Attention

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

Thousands of former East Timorese refugees occupied the Belu
Legislative Council building in Atambua on Tuesday, demanding the
central government explain why assistance has failed to reach them.

This is the second such action staged by the group, who have chosen
to become Indonesian citizens rather than return to their home
country. The first incident took place last week when they occupied
the council building for three days, bringing activity at the
building to a halt.

The former refugees have demanded that President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono respond to their complaint, which was sent to the State
Palace in Jakarta by facsimile.

“We will stay at the council building until the government responds
as to when the due assistance for the former refugees was disbursed,”
Matheus BC Guedes, secretary-general of the Humanitarian Forum for
Indonesian Citizens, which consists of former refugees from East
Timor, said by mobile phone.

Matheus said the former refugees were owed an estimated Rp 80 billion
(US$8.80 million) in assistance over the last three years. The money
was originally earmarked for the social assimilation of 16,400 families.

“Each family should have received Rp 4 million. As each family was
given only Rp 503,000 in 2006, where is the rest of the money?” Matheus asked.

Commenting on the delayed disbursement of the assistance, head of the
East Nusa Tenggara Social Services Office, Frans Salim, said Tuesday
social assimilation funds for the refugees in East Nusa Tenggara
reached only Rp 40 billion.

The money would be distributed to eight regencies and cities –
Kupang, Timor Tengah Utara, Timor Tengah Selatan, Belu, Sumba Timur,
Sumba Barat, Alor and Kupang city — Salim said, adding that the Belu
regency alone received an allocation of only Rp 8 billion for 1,500 families.

What happened, Salim said, was that all refugees, including former
members of the Indonesian Military and National Police, and former
East Timorese civil servants, now living in Belu were demanding money
from the fund.

The money, he said, will be given only to former refugees who have
assimilated with local residents.

“It’s not for all former East Timorese refugees.”

About 2,000 additional families who are demanding a portion of the
assistance funds, Salim said they were not entitled to the money
because they did not register with authorities in 2005.

The protesters arrived at the council building in Atambua at 9 a.m.
by truck and motorcycle. They unfurled banners and demanded the
central government stop treating them as second-class citizens.

“We came to Belu not at our own request, but as political victims,”
Matheus said.

He demanded the government resolve the issue as soon as possible,
including providing the former refugees with housing and jobs so they
could properly raise their children.

Matheus said the protesters would not leave the council building
until they had received assurances their demand would be met.

Hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been deployed around the
council building.