JAKARTA, OCT 10 (ZENIT).- Bishop Josephus Suwatan, president of the Indonesian Bishops, visited the refugee camps in Kupang and Atambua from October 2-5. According to U.N. data, there are 248,000 persons who have fled from East Timor to West Timor, because of the violence perpetrated by militias in favor of annexation to Indonesia.
"This human tragedy grieves me, and I have come here to express my solidarity." Bishop Suwatan was accompanied by Fr. Ignatius Ismartono, secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue. Addressing 900 refugees in Nenuk, the president of the Indonesian Bishops explained that Timor's tragedy is a political problem and that the Church is doing everything possible "to help all those who are suffering."
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