The United Nations commission on refugees has said Indonesia has agreed to let hundreds of thousands of East Timorese refugees in West Timor return home. Some refugees fled from East Timor to Indonesian-controlled West Timor following the vote for independence in August but many others were forced to go.
But doubts about Jakarta's intentions persisted as the Indonesian army was reported to be stopping refugees making their way back to East Timor by road. Three days after about 1,000 Australian troops from the International Force for East Timor were deployed along the frontier, the town of Balibo, 10 kilometres from the border, and the surrounding area remained deserted. One refugee who made it across the frontier from a camp in the town of Atambua said Indonesian soldiers were blocking anyone who tried to return.
The multinational peacekeeping forces in East Timor have pushed into the west of the territory without meeting any challenge from pro-Indonesian militias.
