DATE=5/2/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=UNHCR / EAST TIMOR (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-261895
BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN
DATELINE=GENEVA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The United Nations refugee agency, the U-
N-H-C-R, reports that many of the East Timorese
refugees remaining in West Timor are reluctant to
return home because they fear for their security.
Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva that some of
these refugees are suspected of having worked for
the Indonesian militias.
TEXT: The United Nations refugee agency says its
repatriation program from West Timor has
practically come to a halt. Over the past week,
it notes only several dozen people have
registered to return to East Timor.
U-N-H-C-R Spokesman Kris Janowski says the
refugees are fearful of what will happen when
they return to East Timor. He says there have
been reports of harassment and intimidation of
people who are suspected of having collaborated
with the Indonesian armed forces and the
militias.
/// JANOWSKI ACT ///
Essentially, we are now dealing with the
most difficult group of people. We are
down to those people who were actually
working with the Indonesian government or
somehow involved with the Indonesian
government. Of course, for them, a return
to East Timor is a very, very tough
decision.
/// END ACT ///
Since October, the U-N has returned more than
160-thousand refugees to East Timor, largely
without major problems. About one-quarter
million East Timorese fled to West Timor to
escape violence, which erupted after a pro-
independence referendum was held last August. An
estimated 100-thousand people still remain in
refugee camps in West Timor.
The U-N Refugee Agency believes tens of thousands
of the refugees would return home if their
security was assured. Niurka Pineiro represents
the International Organization for Migration,
which transports the refugees home. She says the
Agency suspended a planned repatriation after
violence erupted in the East Timorese capital,
Dili, on Sunday. She says a brawl broke out
between hundreds of rival East Timorese gang
members at a soccer stadium.
/// PINEIRO ACT ///
The young gang members were armed with
machetes, sticks and stones and they
clashed early Sunday morning in Dili also
with the U-N police and the Brazilian M-P's
who on Monday morning cordoned off the
market, confiscated some 200 weapons and
arrested a number of ring leaders.
/// END ACT ///
Ms. Pineiro says the agency resumed the refugee
transport on Tuesday with 26 people aboard the
bus. The U-N Refugee Agency is organizing so-
called go-and-see visits for refugee leaders so
they can have a firsthand look at the situation
in East Timor. It says the U-N also is
tightening security in East Timor. It has
ordered the arrest of people carrying machetes
and has armed U-N civilian police. (Signed)
NEB/LS/GE/KL
02-May-2000 11:08 AM EDT (02-May-2000 1508 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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