Tough road home for refugees from Timor bloodshed

By PHILIP ENGLISH

As a vicious cold wind blew and a tropical grey sky threatened torrential rain, two East Timorese families walked to freedom from West Timor under the protection of New Zealand troops this week.

The 10 refugees were forced to flee their village in the bloodthirsty mayhem dealt to their people by pro-Indonesian militia in the island territory a little more than a year ago.

But back home in their district centre, Belulik Leten, and huddled together for processing by officials in the ruin of a former municipal building wrecked by the militia, there was no joy on their faces.

The refugees, officially internationally displaced persons or IDPs, showed only apprehension and confusion. The smiles would come later - the New Zealanders would see to that.

The crossing happened on Thursday at a track on the remote border known as Junction Point Echo, guarded by Indonesian soldiers and watched over by United Nations observers and New Zealand peacekeepers from 163 Company, NZBATT3, the third rotation of New Zealand troops to serve in East Timor.

The crossing was the first allowed by the Indonesian military for a couple of weeks.

New Zealand soldier Corporal Nick Hewitt said of the Indonesian soldiers: "They have a funny attitude towards us.

"They like having their photos taken with us, but in the back of our minds we remember what they did to these people, so we are somewhat reserved towards them"

Staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees were waiting to interview the families while the New Zealanders handled security, including the screening of the 10 in case they had links with the militias.

At the same time, a New Zealand medic checked their health.

For the New Zealanders and UNHCR staff, the return of East Timorese from West Timor refugee camps has been frustratingly slow since the killing of three UN workers by militia at Atambua in West Timor in September.

UN staff evacuated from West Timor after the killings have not been allowed back by their bosses to organise and speed up more repatriations.

Corporal Hewitt is a Territorial soldier from Wellington and the local New Zealand civil-military affairs liaison officer with 163 Company.

He said that some time ago, about 65 East Timorese were repatriated to another nearby village uninhabited for a year.

"The housing, as you could imagine after a year, was not all that flash. The gardens were overgrown. They cleared the gardens but now they have no seeds to plant."

Corporal Hewitt said it was the New Zealanders' job to gain the confidence of the newly returned East Timorese and make sure they were safe.

At the village of Belulik Kraik, the home of Thursday's refugees and about 3km from Belulik Leten, villagers had provided a "Kiwi house" where soldiers were welcome to stay.

"We live in the village for a couple of nights a week, and we are around during the day reassuring them," said Corporal Hewitt. "There have been no contacts with the militia for a while, but for us the threat is still pretty real."

Villagers in the area stood up to the Indonesians during the 1975 invasion of East Timor. About 70 died then and 13 died during the crisis last year.

"The villagers are fiercely independent," said Corporal Hewitt.

"The intelligence we have is that if the militia do move through this area, they move very quickly because they have no support here whatsoever."

After being processed, the refugees were given UN rice, water, blankets, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, sleeping mats and kitchen equipment and driven home.

In Belulik Kraik, the homecoming was at first subdued, the refugees still looking unsure.

But they were soon embraced. Still apprehensive, they disappeared inside a village house.

Corporal Hewitt said it usually took a few weeks before newly returned refugees started smiling and following the lead of villagers used to the New Zealanders.

"They see us about and on the road and soon they will pretty well be doing the haka for us. They know we are Kiwis."

For Corporal Hewitt, home for at least five more months is with 40 troops of 163 Company on station at Belulik Leten, about 50km from the main New Zealand base at Suai.

It is the wet season and muddy, windy, cold and cramped. The troops are armed at all times.

This week a tarpaulin at the camp blew away in the wind.

If you relax long enough, someone is bound to call out: "Stop standing around. Fix something."

Herald Online feature: Timor mission

UN Transitional Administration in E Timor