68 Deported Indonesians Die in Refugee Camps

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, September 02, 2002

68 Deported Indonesians Die in Refugee Camps

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A total of 68 Indonesian workers and children have died in refugee camps in Nunukan of Indonesia's East Kalimantan province, one of the nearest exits from Malaysia that deported them, state news agency Antara reported Monday.

Sri Palupi, a relief worker with a local non-governmental organization, said the actual death toll exceeded government's figure that was based merely on irregular reports from the medical centers.

She said that a group of relief workers have found more dead people due to a range of illnesses, primarily diarrhea and respiratory problems in Nunukan district.

"I just found a baby died from diarrhea," she spoke from the location, adding that the hopeless workers are eating only twice aday.

But Kasmir Foret, the head of government team in Nunukan handling the crisis, told a local newspaper that the death toll was only 29.

"The returning workers don't have to worry about anything. Theywill get food, medical treatment and temporarily settlement for free in the camps we have set up," he was quoted by evening-daily Suara Pembaruan as saying.

It is estimated that around 25,000 illegal workers are stuck inNunukan, which shares land borders with Malaysia's Sabah state on the island of Kalimantan.

The figure will probably double as an average 400 returning workers enter Nunukan everyday and around 20,000 more returnees are predicted to arrive this week from Malaysia.

The returning workers have sparked pressures from the parliament about government's seriousness in handling the crisis. House Speaker Akbar Tanjung said earlier in the day that PresidentMegawati Soekarnoputri should have found a settlement about the crisis before starting her East Europe and Africa trips.

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