Jon Land – Despite the announcement on July 31 by Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid that refugee camps in West Timor controlled by the pro-Jakarta militia will be closed, the fate of tens of thousands of East Timorese refugees remains perilous. The terror campaign, which has intensified in recent months, will continue until the militias are disarmed and disbanded.
Pressure from governments, notably the United States, has forced the Wahid government to respond to the violence. Foreign ministers attending the recent ASEAN meeting in Bangkok issued a joint statement condemning the militia violence. US secretary of state Madeleine Albright met with Indonesian foreign minister Alwi Shihab on July 29 to discuss the situation in West Timor and the violence in Maluku province.
Following the meeting, Shihab stated that the camps would be closed and the refugees repatriated, "if it is agreed by the international community that it can be easily done". Shihab added: "Right now, there is no concrete agreement as regards to the appropriate preparations in East Timor to receive [the refugees] back." The issue is to be discussed when Shihab he meets with the United Nations (UN) secretary general in New York on August 19.
In Dili on July 31, US ambassador to Indonesia Robert Gelbard warned that the militias' activity "demonstrates to my government that the Indonesian government is still not prepared to take control of the situation. That is something Indonesia must do if it is to achieve the necessary long-term support for its own situation".
On August 3, the United Nations Security Council called on the Indonesian government to rein in the militias, halt the training and supply of weapons that they receive from the Indonesian armed forces (TNI) and close the refugee camps where the militias are based.
The situation is worst in the refugee camps near Kupang, Atambua and Betun, where the largest of the estimated 240 camps are located. Following the July 24 clash between UN troops and a militia gang in south-west East Timor, militia violence has spread across West Timor. This has resulted in the International Office of Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) suspending repatriation of refugees indefinitely.
Registration and repatriation of refugees has dropped sharply since June. IOM and UNHCR staff have been forced to withdraw from the camps due to threats and attacks from the militia gangs. The 120,000 refugees have been left to fend for themselves.
On July 29, militias established roadblocks along the main road between Atambua and the border town of Motaain, preventing refugees from attending a scheduled reunion meeting with relatives and friends. In the days before, militias warned refugees in the camps that there would be "trouble".
Because of intimidation, and the presence of a large numbers of militia member who were seen to chat amiably with TNI soldiers stationed nearby, the meeting involved the lowest number of refugees since the monthly reunion program began late last year. No future meetings at the Motaain border have been scheduled because of the militia threats.
Wahid's decree to close the camps has not resulted in any improvement in the situation of the refugees or any significant drop in militia activity. Within two days, another fatal clash between UN troops and militia members took place after an East Timorese villager was shot by militia on July 29. The incident took place not far from the July 24 clash.
Refugees are to be "polled" on whether they wish to return to East Timor or remain in Indonesia. "They will be faced with the choice of staying or returning. If they say they demand more time, then that will be considered as wanting to stay", Shihab was quoted as saying in an Antara news agency report on August 1. "The registration of the population should not be delayed", Shihab said. He added that registration is not expected to begin for two months. It is unclear what agency will be responsible for the registration process as the IOM and UNHCR have been prevented from doing so.
Refugees will be forced to make their "choice" on repatriation in an atmosphere of intense intimidation, misinformation and fear. The UNHCR and the UN administration in East Timor are worried about how events in West Timor are unfolding.
Craig Sanders, head of UNHCR operations in West Timor, told ABC Radio on August 1 that, "if force is used to close the camps, we could see a melt-down because people are being forced out and this could spark a whole reaction among the local population. It could also spark a reaction by the militia ... the thugs who are in many cases are running some of the larger sites. These people ... have proven that they can unleash violence and they may in this case do the same thing."
Sanders believes there are insufficient facilities in East Timor to deal with a sudden flood of refugees. He told Deutsche Presse Agentur: "If people were forced across the border, it could destabilise East Timor. To think you can get rid of the problems by closing the camps ... is [simplistic] ... but none of us want to see these camps here indefinitely."
The militia repression in the camps is part of a wave of politically motivated violence spreading across West Timor and other parts of Indonesia. The perpetrators are linked to sections of the TNI and government officials. The terror campaign in West Timor is being used by these forces to destabilise East Timor and to strengthen reactionary opposition to Wahid.
Fighting involving militia, TNI soldiers and local gangs is now common throughout West Timor. The provincial government has called for the removal of TNI's 744 battalion (formerly stationed in East Timor) following its involvement in beatings and murders of civilians. Military chief of the Udayana command, Kiki Syahnakri, has asked for the people of Kupang to "work together" with the police and military against the "criminal gangs".