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507 Sites Readied for Registration of E.Timorese Refugees
A total of 507 registration sites have been made ready for the registration of East Timorese refugees in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, scheduled for June 6.
The registration process will involve 1,600 census takers, 80 supervisors and international observers, said Paul Amalo, head of the Task Force for the Settlement of the Refugee Problem in Kupang, capital of East Nusa Tenggara.
The registration is open for all East Timorese who were born in East Timor, or have one parent born in East Timor, and were residents of East Timor for five years prior to the August 1999 ballot, Amalo was quoted by the Jakarta Post.com online news service Tuesday as saying.
"Members of the Indonesian Military and the National Police who served in East Timor for five years are also eligible for the registration," Amalo said.
The registration committee has prepared two different forms, one carrying the picture of the Garuda (eagle) for those who opt to stay in Indonesia and another the picture of Timor Island for those who decide to return to East Timor.
According to Amalo, the registration for refugees residing outside of East Nusa Tenggara will be conducted later.
He said the Indonesian government will immediately repatriate refugees who decide to return to East Timor.
It was reported that a total of 12,000 East Timorese refugees residing in East Nusa Tenggara have been returned to East Timor in the past three months.
No less than 200,000 refugees from East Timor were herded into East Nusa Tenggara following East Timor's August 1999 overwhelming vote for independence from Jakarta.
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