Around 128,000 East Timorese people living in various refugee camps in Nusa Tenggara, West Timor, are facing starvation. Food supplies are nearly exhausted after their crops were badly damaged during recent floods. Nevertheless because of financial problems Jakarta went ahead to implement a decision to end its humanitarian relief as of January 1, 2002.
Some 20,000 refugees in provincial Kupang have sufficient food, but another 100,000 at Belu, near the East Timor border, have nothing. An outbreak of diarrhea and lung and skin diseases has aggravated the situation and already 15 people, mainly children, have died. The refugees live off frugal meals, Cassava roots in the morning and porridge of some kind in the evening, never any meat or fish. Antonia da Costa aged 47, originally from Los Palos East Timor, told Fides that he struggles to provide even two small meals for his family of five. Like other men he had a plot of land near the camp but recent floods submerged the rice and maize they were growing. He said he feared food stocks from the last harvest would hardly last till the end of February.
Yuliana Soares, aged 38, another refugee in Belo, said her family's supplies were running out. "This week we are having soup twice instead of one rice meal and one soup, so that the rice will last for another two weeks, "she tells Fides. The food shortage is also the result of Jakarta's decision to end humanitarian relief in West Timor due to the government's financial difficulties in a prolonged crisis. A Fides source at the Ministry of Political and Security Affairs said the decision was an attempt to encourage refugees to go back to their homeland, East Timor, now thought to be safe for all after two years of war and violence.
Johanis B. Kosapilawan, provincial administration spokesman, said the government will not reconsider its decision. Humanitarian aid in future will only be supplied in emergency situations and in a much more reduced measure. Mr. Kosapilawan has asked the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, to help these people. Already 100,000 have accepted the Indonesian government's offer to retain Indonesian citizenship, mainly out of fear for the future in East Timor. (see Fides 15 June 2001).]
East Timor voted for independence in a referendum in September 1999. Independence is due to be declared on May 20, 2002, and followed by presidential elections. After war between pro-Jakarta militia and the East Timor independence movement and an exodus of more than 300,000 people to the West, in 2000 the United Nations took over the administration of the fledgling country with a peace force of 8,000 men from various countries in the region. Over the past two years the UNHCR has helped 170,000 East Timor refugees return home.
Reported and Written by Mathias Hariyadi
Fides Agenzia. 1 March 2002
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