From IOM Press Briefing Notes
by Jean Philippe Chauzy, IOM Spokesperson
IOM is planning its first major repatriation by sea since August. On Monday 20 November, IOM will repatriate 447 people from Kupang to the East Timor port of Com aboard the IOM-operated ship the Patricia Anne Hotung.
Fifty of the 65 families to be returned are former members of the Indonesian military or TNI and seven are former civil servants. Most of the families, who are currently living in the Tuapukan and Naibonnat refugee camps outside Kupang, are from the Eastern districts of Los Palos and Lautem close to Com.
The former military members of the group, known as Milsas (short for militarisasi), were low-level territorial troops recruited in East Timor. Prior to leaving West Timor with IOM, they will be paid lump sum retirement benefits by the TNI.
The joint repatriation operation, which will also involve the TNI, UNTAET, and UNHCR, has been planned since the summer and will require special dispensation from the UN, which suspended its programs in West Timor following the September killings of three UN workers in Atambua. The Phase 5 security rating that resulted in the suspension will not be affected by the operation.
The TNI will transport the group from the refugee camps to a processing centre in Kupang and then on the ship. IOM doctors will screen the returnees to ensure that they are fit to travel, and UNHCR will ensure that they are returning voluntarily. The sailing time from Kupang to Com is about 20 hours; the ship is expected to arrive at around midday on Tuesday, 21 November.
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