EAST TIMOR: DILI: 2000 REFUGEES RETURN BY BOAT

(22 Oct 1999) Eng/Indonesian
The first boat bringing nearly 2-thousand refugees back to East Timor arrived in Dili on Friday.
Others have been filtering back into the country by plane over the past few days.
The refugees had spent at least a month in refugee camps after they fled or were driven from their homes by an outbreak of violence following East Timor's independence referendum on August 30.
The refugees' return coincided with the secretive arrival of revered pro-independence leader Xanana Gusmao.
Humanitarian officials said the refugees, who had left the port of Kupang in Indonesian-controlled West Timor about 12 hours earlier, were generally in good condition.
The United Nations Humanitarian Commission for Refugees (U-N-H-C-R) hoped the voyage marked the start of a mass return of refugees, about 250-thousand of whom are still in West Timor.
About 9,500 have returned so far by ship, plane and overland but the U-N-H-C-R say ships will probably transport the bulk of them home.
SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian)
"I felt as if I had arrived in East Timor even as soon as we got on board and were leaving Kupang. I feel relieved and alive again."
SUPERCAPTION: Mario Sarmonto, refugee
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Well, the biggest difficulty was that you get all the goodwill at the same time, at the same place for this to happen and now we can say that thanks for the cooperation of all concerned, especially the Indonesian government, who has given us this opportunity to happen. This is now reality. In exactly a month and a day earlier, just behind your back, units that were here were the first INTERFET landing. And departure, forced departure was still happening just in front of our noses. A month and a day later, this is the other way round and people are returning exactly from the same place where we're speaking to you, this is a fantastic moment."
SUPERCAPTION: Bernard Kerblat, U-N-H-C-R
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[@servantofthepeople5405]

May God bless you my country I miss you all countries

[@Haiderali77775]

Refugees details came from which country

[@novanmanoah8651]

Shame on you UN & Aussie!

[@carlitosoaresdejesus1429]

W hanoin fali uluk ami foin fila husi daruin my

[@domigosafonco3172]

Hanoin fali uluk timor leste ukun an. Durante ne sei SD klas 3 hau ho hau nia familia iha mos ro lambelu ne nia laran, ami husi kupang ba dili.

[@canciomfreitas5225]

Hau nia Timor.

[@zenktb4780]

Nikmati sama kamu orang... Selamat di jajah ausie

[@helenasiak210]

Kalo sdh kalah perang dan nasibmu jadi lebih parah dari babi maka nikmati aja hidupmu secara tenang dlm kandangmu . jangan iri hati dgn kemerdekaan Timor spt halnya dulu kamu iri dgn kemerdekaan kami malaysia Dan Singapore.
Kamu justru hrs hati2 dgn aceh dan papua yg sebentar lagi akan merdeka dan jadilah kamu bangs a yg bernasib lebih buruk dari anjing kurap sekalipun....