Kupang – Atambua Bishop Anton Pain Ratu has called on the Timor Leste government to grant amnesty to former pro-Jakarta militia as part of efforts to end refugee problems in West Timor, East Nusa Tenggara province.

"The Timor Leste government should make a breakthrough, they should tell pro-Jakarta militias that they will be given amnesty when they return home. The policy could encourage the refugees to return home in order to help resolve refugee problems in West Timor," said the bishop on Thursday night.

Thousands of pro-Jakarta militias are still living in refugee shelters in West Timor regency after a UN-sponsored ballot in 1999, which ended in Timor Leste separating from Indonesia.

They are living in decrepit tents and barracks where communicable diseases are rife. The refugees also have no access to employment.