DATE=10/15/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-N / EAST TIMOR (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-255065
BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN
DATELINE=GENEVA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The United Nations Refugee Agency, U-N-H-C-R,
says it has signed a formal agreement with the
Indonesian government granting the agency, what it
calls, free and unimpeded access to hundreds of
thousands of East Timorese refugees in West Timor.
Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports the agency says the
agreement should speed up the repatriation process.
TEXT: The U-N Refugee Agency calls the agreement a
breakthrough. It says it will enhance its efforts to
return home tens of thousands of East Timorese
currently living in overcrowded, unsanitary camps in
West Timor.
U-N-H-C-R Spokesman, Kris Janowski, says the agreement
with Indonesian authorities formally grants the agency
access to all the sites where refugees are staying.
/// JANOWSKI ACT ///
And also puts us in charge of the repatriation
of the people and gives us the ability to verify
whether the people who want to go or remain can
make a free decision without threats and
intimidation, which is certainly good news.
We'll see how it will all translate in practice.
/// END ACT ///
An estimated 230-thousand East Timorese fled or were
forcibly deported to West Timor by anti-independence
militias and Indonesian soldiers. The U-N Refugee
Agency has accused the Indonesian authorities and
militia of trying to pressure the East Timorese not to
go home.
Since the repatriation began last week, the agency has
airlifted more than 18-hundred people from the West
Timor capital, Kupang, to Dili in East Timor. Because
of the new agreement, Mr. Janowski says the
repatriation operation will be speeded up.
/// 2ND JANOWSKI ACT ///
We have chartered another aircraft, which will
be operational either tomorrow or the day after,
which will essentially double the capacity of
the airlift. We will probably be doing six
sorties from Kupang to Dili. We are also trying
to rent a seaworthy boat to take people by boat.
For the time being, (the) overland route is
closed pending an investigation into an incident
last weekend in which there was a shootout
between Interfet (international peacekeepers)
and the Indonesians.
/// END ACT ///
In a separate operation, the U-N Refugee Agency on
Friday began to fly people from the Indonesian
capital, Jakarta, to East Timor. The agency says this
operation is aimed at bringing home many thousands of
East Timorese scattered around Java and other
Indonesian islands. (Signed)
NEB/LS/GE/LTD/JO
15-Oct-1999 09:07 AM EDT (15-Oct-1999 1307 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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