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UNICEF urges government to create 'new atmosphere' for West Timor relief effort

Jakarta, 30 September 1999 - The United Nations Children's Fund has called upon the government of Indonesia to help create "a new atmosphere" in the province of West Timor, where more than 200,000 refugees from the neighboring East have been huddling in fear for almost a month.

"An atmosphere of threat - real or perceived - has dampened international humanitarian involvement in West Timor and slowed the flow of assistance to children and women in need," said UNICEF Area Representative Stephen Woodhouse. "We urge the government of Indonesia to help create a new atmosphere of security and openness in West Timor to ensure that these refugees get the complete, unhindered assistance they require."

Specifically, UNICEF urged the government to:

• Exercise full control of the refugee camps to ensure the security and rights of all children, women and families;
• Ensure that emergency assistance is provided to all children, women and families in a non-discriminatory manner;
• Pay particular attention to the protection of unaccompanied children to ensure that their rights are upheld.

Woodhouse also called attention to a statement made earlier this week by Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of UNICEF, that called on the Indonesian government to "disarm all militia groups and any others who intend harm" to people in the West Timor encampments.

"Although local UNICEF staff have been able to carry out relief deliveries, we know that the overall environment is one of trepidation - for relief workers and refugees alike," Woodhouse said. "International relief agencies have therefore been discouraged from sending in outside experts. For relief workers who are on the job, it has been very difficult to fully document the needs and wishes of the displaced population."

UNICEF said that of the approximately 200,000 East Timorese residents now displaced to West Timor and surrounding islands, almost 35,000 (15 per cent) are under the age of five. UNICEF estimates that nearly half of the refugee population is under the age of 15. The agency noted that Indonesia is a signatory to the 1990 Convention on the Rights of The Child, which holds governments responsible for protecting the health and welfare of all children, without discrimination of any kind.

"This is, undoubtedly, a complex situation," Woodhouse said. "But the rights of these children must be made the highest priority."

UNICEF has more than 15 local staff working in West Timor. Through operations centers in Kupang and Atambua, the agency has been able to deliver 30 tonnes of baby food to the encampments, as well as thousands of blankets, water containers, and other basic survival items. UNICEF is also working to deliver health and education services to children in the camps.

UNICEF has had an ongoing program in West Timor for the last 18 years and has been working in Indonesia as a whole since 1950.

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