East Timorese refugees want to stay

East Timorese refugees wait to disembark from a boat chartered by the International Organization for Migration in Dili ahead of the registration period.

KUPANG, Indonesia -- Thousands of East Timorese refugees have chosen to stay in the Indonesian half of the island instead of returning to their homeland across the border.

Indonesian officials said 38,000 of 42,000 refugees so far polled ahead of general elections scheduled in East Timor for August, want to remain in Indonesian West Timor.

The data has emerged amid concern from U.N. officials that pro-Jakarta militias might disrupt the polling by intimidating refugees.

The same militia gangs herded the refugees into West Timor nearly two years ago when an overwhelming majority of Timorese in the eastern half of the island voted to end Jakarta rule.

Most want to stay

"Up to now, there's a large number who have registered to stay compared to the few who opted to return to East Timor," Amin Rianom, chief organizer of the registration, told Reuters.

Rianom said it could take up to 14 days to count the total of 130,000 ballots.

Registration, which began and was due to finish on Wednesday, was completed by late Thursday.

"We can only announce the results in 10 to 14 days. We need time," he said.

The tentative results so far run counter to official estimates that probably no more than 10 percent would opt to stay in Indonesia.

Some of the refugees who wanted to stay in West Timor said economic uncertainty at home influenced their decision.

No guarantee

"I choose to stay here. Even if I returned to East Timor, the government there couldn't guarantee my safety. I don't lack anything here, we have enough food and education for our children," refugee Phillipe Parada told Reuters.

Unemployment and poverty are common in East Timor as locals scratch to make ends meet amid a huge economic gap between them and dollar-salaried U.N. workers.

East Timor is under U.N. administration but is expected to achieve formal independence later this year or early in 2002.

Most of the 300,000 East Timorese forced into West Timor after the U.N.-brokered independence ballot in August 1999 have returned but the U.N. estimates 80,000 refugees remain in the squalid camps.

There are widespread reports of mistreatment in the camps, many of which are dotted along the border and aid workers say many are controlled by militia leaders.

Reuters contributed to this report.