HC Deb 02 May 2001 vol 367 cc669-70W
Ann Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to provide humanitarian relief to the refugees in West Timor; and what discussions he has had with the Indonesian Government over ensuring a secure environment for refugees and humanitarian agencies in West Timor. [159927]

Clare Short

Accurate information on conditions in the refugee camps in West Timor remains difficult to obtain, following the withdrawal of UN staff and international NGOs in the aftermath of the killing of three UN workers in Atambua last September. The Indonesian Government appear to be managing the situation relatively well, and there have been no reports of widespread hunger, or appeals for humanitarian assistance.

Staff from my Department and from the Embassy in Jakarta participated in a meeting last week at which a draft Government of Indonesia plan to resolve the refugee situation in West Timor was discussed. This included a discussion of security, particularly ensuring a secure environment for the planned registration of refugees due

Project Date £ million
Sexual and Reproductive Health Phase 2 2000–04 20
Rural District Councils Capacity Building Programme 1996–2001 10.6
Civil Society Land Resettlement Challenge Fund 2000–04 5
Integrated Poverty Monitoring and Analysis System 2000–03 1.06
Wills and Inheritance Laws 2000–02 0.86
Bikita and Lupane Integrated Rural Water Supply and Sanitation projects 1995–2002 6.27
Social Marketing of Condoms 1996–2001 2.8
Small Dams Rehabilitation 1997–2001 1.96
to take place in late May. A UN mission to review security conditions in West Timor is expected to visit in mid May.