---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ++ Pemilu Online: http://www.indo-news.com/pemilu/ ++ ---------------------------------------------------------- Antara, 16 Juni 1999 UNAMET Expects E Timorese Refugees to Return Home Dili, E Timor, June 15 (ANTARA) - The United Nations Assesment Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) is expecting the immediate return of refugees scattered in the troubled province to their respective homes, its spokesman said Tuesday. "The people in refugee camps who had fled their homes after they were intimidated and terrorized are expected to return home soon and their safety should be truly guaranteed," said David Wimhurst. Wimhurst said the refugees could also refuse to go home for the direct ballot this August for fear thet they would be barred by certain groups. If the refugees are still afraid, then the Indonesian police has to be able to guarantee their safety, but if they are barred from returning, there should be a cooperation from all parties to bring them back to their own homes, he said. According to Wimhurst, the UNAMET team has visited several refugee camps, such as those in Atambua and Atabae, about 100 km west of Dili, at East Timor's border with East Nusa Tenggara. Meanwhile, chief of the local ballot organizing committee, Agus Tarmidzi, said the committee has discussed with UNAMET chief, Ian Martin, the possibility of allowing the refugees to vote in the refugee camps. "We have spoken to UNAMET chief Ian Martin that the refugees in Atambua and in other areas need not return to their villages. They could be registered at the refugee camps," Tarmidzi said. He said the committee explained that it would be better for UNAMET to open representative posts at the refugee camps to register the refugees. According to him, the refugees will be given the same treatment as the other participants in the direct ballot in Australia, Portugal, Java, and Sulawesi. Until the end of May, the number of East Timorese refugees who have taken shelter in Atambua and Atabae has reached 8,366 people. On the meantime, Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved the dispatch of civilian police a United Nations force overseeing East Timor's August vote on autonomy or independence, officials were quoted by AFP as saying in Bangkok. A government spokesman said "in-principle approval" was given, but that the number of officers joining the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) had yet to be decided by the Foreign Ministry. "The cabinet agreed with a Foreign Ministry proposal to send police officials to join the UN operation in East Timor and to consider it an official mission," deputy spokesman Sakon Prompakdi said. (U/DLI-03/FN-02/NN-06/14:47/int-cl/16:07/NN-03/15/06/99 16:59/TB02) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 21 Jun 1999 jam 12:40:36 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
