wfn.org | Refugees in West Timor face critical conditions

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

June 8, 2001  News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212)870-3803·New York
10-33-71B{263}

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Although nearly forgotten by the international community,
about 10 percent of the population of East Timor remains trapped in squalid
refugee camps in West Timor.

That's the report from Winston Neil Rondo, chief executive for the Centre
for Internally Displaced People's Services, a humanitarian agency based in
West Timor. He spoke June 6 at a briefing sponsored by the United Methodist
Board of Global Ministries - the same day that Indonesia was to conduct a
massive, one-day refugee registration in a process criticized by Rondo's
group and other organizations in East Timor.

Concerns include the participation of the military in the registration
process, the lack of international observers and the pressure on the
refugees to resettle in Indonesia rather than return to their homeland,
Rondo said.

After a 24-year occupation by the Indonesian Army, the East Timorese people
voted overwhelmingly for independence in a U.N.-supervised referendum in
August 1999. Following that ballot, the Indonesia military and militia
groups "conducted a month-long scorched earth campaign in East Timor,"
according to the U.S.-based East Timor Action Network, killing, raping and
destroying most of the new nation's buildings and infrastructure.

East Timor remains under a transitional U.N. administration. Full
independence is scheduled for early next year.

Rondo, a native of West Timor, has worked with East Timorese refugees there
since September 1999. Cooperating with international agencies, his
organization has provided humanitarian assistance, worked with women victims
of violence, investigated human rights abuses and supplied accurate
information about the situation back home.

The condition of those refugees "is critical now," he said, noting that
children die on a regular basis. "Begging is common for refugee children.
They have no education."

Refugees have had difficulty returning home because they have been separated
from their families and because the camps are surrounded by militia groups
that exert control and spread misinformation. "Intimidation and violence go
on systematically in the camps," he explained.

Rondo believes churches can make a difference in the crisis by advocating
for action. He and the East Timor Action Network, which sponsored his U.S.
speaking tour, are calling for:

·	Pressure from the U.S. and international community on the Indonesian
government to disarm and disband the militias.
·	Support for an international tribunal on crimes against humanity
committed in East Timor.
·	Creation of a credible refugee registration process with significant
international participation and oversight.
·	Adoption of a complete ban on weapons sales, training and support
for the Indonesian military by the United States until these issues have
been resolved.

Rondo noted that assistance also is needed for the citizens of West Timor,
who have been affected by the refugee crisis.

The network's Web site, www.etan.org, has more information on concerns
regarding East Timor.

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org