Mark Dodd, Dili – The head of the UN mission in East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello, has given the green light to Indonesia's armed forces to forcibly close militia-controlled refugee camps in West Timor to break the repatriation stalemate.
During a meeting with donors in Jakarta last Friday, Mr de Mello outlined a radical plan giving support to a forced camp-by-camp closure involving Indonesian security forces, according to a diplomat at the meeting.
The plan is similar to the forced-closure tactics used by the Thai army to empty Cambodian camps in 1992 that resulted in the repatriation of 500,000 people. During that time Mr de Mello was in charge of UNHCR operations in Cambodia.
Final approval is being sought from UN headquarters in New York and from former Dutch prime minister Ruud Lubbers, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
"Sergio [Vieira de Mello] is daring UNHCR to say no. We want nothing to do with this plan. It will be very interesting to see their (UNHCR) response," the diplomat said by telephone from Jakarta.
UNHCR, along with other international aid organisations, ceased operations in West Timor after three international staff were murdered by a militia mob in the border town of Atambua last August.
A second key figure involved in the proposal is the UN transitional administration's Malaysian chief of staff, N. Parameswaran, who will travel to Kupang, capital of West Timor, with senior officials from UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration. IOM has given its support to the plan.
Refugee returns to East Timor have slowed to a trickle although estimates of numbers still living in militia-controlled camps in West Timor range from 80,000 to 100,000, most of whom want to return home.
There are encouraging signs of greater Indonesian cooperation to help in the repatriation of the refugees. This weekend more than 600 people, including 400 refugees and 200 former army personnel and their families, are expected to return to Dili on board the IOM-chartered ship Patricia Anne Hotung. The refugees have been registered by Indonesian authorities and will board the ship in Kupang.
Mr de Mello believes decisive action is required to break the militia hold over the camps if the majority of refugees are to return home by June 20, the final date for voter registration in East Timor's forthcoming national elections.
He now believes the current policy of refugees returning piece-meal is a failure because of continuing militia control of the camps. Under the new proposal, Indonesian soldiers backed by riot police will secure individual camps, starting with refugee centres around Kupang.
Refugees will then be registered and handed over to UNHCR and IOM when they will be asked to chose between staying or leaving West Timor.
According to reliable sources, the proposal has the backing of Indonesia's Foreign Ministry and the commander of eastern military region, Major-General Willhelm da Costa.
Meanwhile, the number of East Timorese refugees returning home doubled this month compared to January, said a senior UNHCR official. Jake Moreland said yesterday that 1157 East Timorese returned home this month, double January's figure of 544. Mr Moreland said the trend was likely to continue.
Life in the squalid militia-controlled camps was becoming increasingly hard while news of better opportunities in East Timor was filtering into the camps, he said.