UN delegation arrives in West Timor

Militias are accused of stopping refugees from returning home

By BBC's Richard Galpin in East Timor

A delegation from the United Nations Security Council is visiting the town of Atambua in Indonesian-controlled West Timor on Wednesday to assess whether pro-Jakarta militias have been disarmed and disbanded.

It is certain that the Indonesian authorities will be putting on the best possible show to prove that disarmament of the militias has been taking place

The militias are held responsible for the murder of three UN refugee workers in September and for last year's violence in East Timor.

The militias have also been stopping tens of thousands of East Timorese refugees from returning home.

The refugees have been living in camps in West Timor for more than a year.

Brutal murders

The visit to Atambua is the most significant and symbolic leg of the delegation's trip to West Timor.

Members of the delegation are visiting the office of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), which was attacked by the militia gangs at the beginning of September.

The militias hacked to death three international staff of UNHCR and burnt their bodies.

They later searched the entire town for foreigners.

These brutal murders led to the withdrawal of all international aid agencies which had been assisting the East Timorese refugees living in camps in Atambua and other parts of West Timor.

Exaggeration

The delegation is also expected to visit some of the refugee camps.

Militias are said to have hidden more sophisticated weapons

They will want to see evidence that the militia gangs, which have been controlling many of the camps, have now been disarmed and removed as demanded by the Security Council resolution passed in September.

The delegation will be meeting some of the refugees themselves to find out whether they now feel free of intimidation so they can make a real choice about whether to return home to East Timor.

It is certain that the Indonesian authorities will be putting on the best possible show to prove that disarmament of the militias has been taking place and that the security forces are now fully in control.

But many aid officials and observers say these claims are greatly exaggerated.

They say the militias have only handed in a few homemade weapons and have hidden most of their more sophisticated firearms.

They also say the militias continue to be a powerful presence in the camp, threatening to attack any refugees who say they wish to go back to East Timor.