TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will restart their activities at the bordering area between West Timor and East Timor next April following the revocation of a travel ban on UN workers to Atambua. The ban was issued shortly after the incident in Atambua that killed several UNHCR staffs on September 6, 2000. UNHCR staff Rene Van Rooyeen made this comment following a meeting with President Abdurrahman Wahid at State Palace in Jakarta today, March 15.

The returning UNCHR team will come in a new format. “UN Security Monitoring team will go to West Timor at the beginning of April to restart its activities. If possible, the alert status imposed in Atambua will also be revoked,” Rooyeen said. He added that as soon as the East Timorese government is established, both the Conselho National de Resistancia Timorese (CNRT) and UNHCR will leave East Timor.

Rooyeen said that in the meeting with President Abdurrahman Wahid, was discussed the refugees problem which to date has yet to be solved. “We thank for the support from the Indonesian government, especially the president and his cabinet, and all the people of Indonesia who have supported the transitional administration in East Timor,” Rooyeen said.

Rooyeen explained that up to now, nearly 300,000 refugees have returned and started a productive life in East Timor. Meanwhile, some 50,000 to 100,000 others have yet to return. Their return to the region is expected to complete by mid-2002.

Rooyeen said that the refugees have two options, to stay in Indonesia or return to East Timor. Indonesian government, he added, has been prepared to accommodate the refugees wishing to stay in Indonesia. Rooyeen admitted that handling the refugees is a very difficult problem, especially for those about to start a new life.