Good morning. Yesterday, 69 persons, including two international staff members, staff made up from various NGOs, and UN Agencies – UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF – were extracted after having spent a very difficult night in the KODIM compound in Atambua.
Among the 69, there was only one light casualty, who has been stabilized in Batugade and treated with a few stitches here in Dili. In addition to the 69 persons, the three bodies of the colleagues who were killed the day earlier were also repatriated. There was a brief and moving ceremony to receive the coffins yesterday afternoon at the airport and they are now at the human rights center pending their return to their families.
The conditions to the 69 are similar, even worse, to the 42 who were extracted a day earlier as they spent an additional night in insecure Atambua. They were sheltered at the KODIM compound and around 1100 the previous night some intense gunfire was heard between the militia and TNI assuming protection of that compound.
We keep receiving news of family members of ordinary Indonesian citizens working either for UN agencies or humanitarian agencies who are visited in a threatening manner by uncontrolled militia elements. We also continue receiving reports of local NGO staff who were as of yesterday still in hiding and being hunted for by militia elements. We have received reports of militia doing searches of religious buildings. As of last night at Junction Point Foxtrot, in Suai, nine individuals working for several organizations made it for safety. Among them there are five individuals for whom during 48 hours we were extremely worried and I am happy to report that they are exhausted, terrified, traumatized but they are in safety.
Betun is still in the words of TNI an “insecure area”, which means by TNI standards that clearly it is out of control.
As of 2300 hours last night we have received reports, unconfirmed, since we are not on the ground, of 20 casualties, civilian or refugees, we don’t know.
That is all in a nutshell what we have at this time.
Questions and Answers:
Q: We have reports that members of the 744 Battalion have joined the militia. Do you now recognize that the Indonesians are deeply involved in the insurgency of the militia?
A: I don’t know. The nature of the perpetrators we know too well. Frankly speaking, my preoccupation has been to get as many people as possible to safety. That was my primary objective. Another element of information that I forgot to mention, yet to be confirmed, I am told that 15 persons have been apprehended yesterday in Atambua, which could possibly include one suspect who could have been involved in the murder of our three colleagues.
Q: These reported casualties in Betun were killed?
A: The 20 reported casualties in Betun are killed from what we have received. We have no information on the number of wounded. We do not know if they are Indonesian citizens or refugees but we know that there are no NGO personnel among these 20.
Q: Are there any people left behind in West Timor?
A: Please understand that I do not want to go too much into specifics for security reasons. There are still some lives at stake. We have a certain number of people, we know their whereabouts, and they are still in West Timor, but please allow me not to disclose their exact number as we are working on that right now.
Q: The Indonesians said they were sending in two more battalions to Atambua. Have you had any reports of any evidence of their arrival?
A: We have heard the same news. We also heard from local military sources in Betun the same information, i.e. the imminent arrival of these troops. Our assumption is that if it has filtered down to the Betun level, there must be some truth to that. But we can not confirm it.
Q: Are the militia in complete control of the Betun and Atambua areas?
A: We believe that there are more militia control as of 2300 last night in Betun than in Atambua. Everything being relative.
Q: After this, is it UNHCR’s policy to completely close down operations in West Timor?
A: As of now, de facto, because of the display of violence, de facto, the operation has ceased in West Timor. Whether of not UNHCR will return to West Timor is a bit premature to answer.
Q: Have you heard any news from the camps in West Timor?
A: Unfortunately, and that constitutes our second source of anxiety, we are no longer in a position to answer this question. We do not know what is happening to the refugees. We are extremely preoccupied, because before the outbreak of this situation there were already 120,000 individuals in a hostage-like situation. At least we knew they were hostages and we were trying to do something. We fear the worst for them and our thoughts are with them. That is all we can do for the time being.
Q: We have heard that the leader of the Laksaur militia in Suai, Olivio Mendonça, was negotiating with UNHCR and that other elements of the militia were angry over this and that this was the reason for his murder. Did UNHCR negotiate with him?
A: We have no indication that Mendonça had approached UNHCR directly to negotiate his return.
Q: Could you comment on whether the UNHCR had heard about any secondary, intermediary negotiation with him?
A: Frankly speaking – I am not hiding anything – I cannot comment on this.
Q: What is the United Nations doing to improve the situation?
A: I can not speak on behalf of the entire United Nations system, I can only speak on behalf of UNHCR. For the time being we are running for cover, trying to protect innocent lives among our own ranks and then we will re-evaluate as news becomes available, literally by the hour.
Q: When the Attorney General released the list of the 19 suspects of serious crimes, did you make preparations for the eventual outbreak of violence?
A: Yes, we made preparations. Especially since we had gone through 126 security incidents and that is all I can comment at this point in time.
Q: Sergio de Mello said two days ago that this was totally predictable. Given this, why did not the UN and UNHCR pull these people out earlier?
A: Here is a dilemma. What do you do? You stay or you evacuate. What we have done that very day, given the nature of the demonstration, despite assurances by the TNI and the police that the intention of the demonstration was peaceful and was not to be routed past the office. Despite these assurances, we nonetheless took precautionary measures as all non-essential staff was supposed to stay in their houses, where they were searched for by the militia the same afternoon.
Q: Has the UN made requests for additional troops to be deployed?
A: I do not know what the UN has done, as far as UNHCR is concerned, what we are saying to the authorities is just to remind them that it is their prerogative to secure the refugee and humanitarian staff. So as such, UNHCR is not going into specifics, requesting additional troops or the nature of the response. It is none of our business. We are simply telling the Government of Indonesia that the maintenance of law and order and the provision of security are their responsibilities.
Q: What is a credible demonstration that the military has control? What exactly needs to happen?
A: Even before that, there are essential steps which have to be taken. Number one, UNHCR wishes to see the guilty parties responsible for the murder – and mind my words, murder – of the three UNHCR members. That is the basic, like in any other society. Number two, for UNHCR to operate, there must be tangible, credible signs on the ground which allows us to operate. And that means for instance to be able to have a one to one dialogue with any refugee regardless of where he or she is, regardless of what he or she thinks or votes or believes. That is not in place. These two conditions are not in place. Once these conditions are in place, we can see the rest. Third step: separation of armed combatants from civilian populations away from refugee camps to preserve the strictly humanitarian civilian nature of the camps. But before, the Government of Indonesia is in a position to deliver this, I think as I outlined, the prior steps have to be taken.
I would like to remind you that these steps that I just outlined are not novelties because we took three casualties. It means that we have been requesting since September last year as the first refugees started to trickle over into West Timor – these demands were not met as of today even as of the 5th of September before this incident. What we are saying is: what is the point of delivering assistance if the beneficiaries of this assistance continue to be attacked, the people who are supposed to deliver this assistance become a systematic target of indiscriminate violence and that perpetrates the status quo. And aid, on the way, is also looted. So under these conditions, what is the point of maintaining humanitarian assistance?
Q: Is there a time frame? Is this a matter of policy; that UNHCR would go back in when the situation is satisfactory? Would you go back in if there is a base level of security?
A. We are in the process of determining benchmarks under which we would be ready to return. It is too early to disclose that. For the time being, we are not returning.
Q: Does this demonstrate a lack of will or ability to give you these benchmarks?
A. Lack of will, I don’t know. I think I am the wrong person to ask the question. Lack of ability, unfortunately, we have all witnessed too often and it has taken a new turn recently.
Q: How can you trust ASEAN with the Indonesian military in Government now, in light of the fact that the attack was premeditated and as you mentioned earlier that TNI and the police gave you assurances that there would be no danger to the staff. They are obviously lying?
A: That appears to be the case indeed, unfortunately.
Q: What lessons have you learned?
A: It is always the fact after these kinds of events happen, “Why haven’t you done this?” or “Why haven’t you done that?” Lessons can be learned. Let’s ask the question to the Government of Indonesia: “Why haven’t you delivered on security?”
Q: What do you know about the militia movement towards Kupang now?
A: No information on that. The only thing we heard is yesterday some movement, again unconfirmed reports, of some twenty trucks of militia making movements towards Kupang. Again, since we are no longer present on the ground, we can not assess the situation. That is all we heard.
Q:
Do you still have any staff there?
A: We still have a small number of staff. For security reasons please allow me not to go into details as to their whereabouts and their locations. But we know where they are and we are in contact with them. They are not going to stay in Kupang forever. Q: Have all these people been accounted for?
A: Yes, except one local staff member. We have two credible reports that he is in safety, outside the danger area. But we do not have direct contact with him.
Q: What plans to repatriate the bodies of the dead have you got?
A: The bodies arrived yesterday in Batugade and from there were airlifted. I would like, by the way, to take this opportunity to give my warmest thanks for the incredible and efficient support we received from the Peacekeeping Force, who right from the top with the Force Commander, have taken right at the beginning of the crisis – ten minutes after we received the first serious indication – about the unfolding situation in Atambua, the Peacekeeping Force have demonstrated an incredible sense of solidarity and readiness to support all of us. The bodies will be taken to Darwin and from there will be dispatched to their families. When I can not say yet. There are some preliminary steps to be taken first, including an autopsy.
Q: Are the militia better armed, organized and determined than they were perhaps three months ago?
A: Better arms, better organized – can not comment on that. More determined – that’s for sure.
Q: What has happened to the repatriated people?
A They arrived, they were received, sheltered for the night and given comfort and as I am speaking they are on their way to be relocated with their parent organizations here in Dili. Thank you.
