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East Timorese refugee saga comes to an end
30 Dec 2002 January 1 marks the formal end of refugee status for East Timorese, who fled to the west of the island in the wake of the pro-independence referendum three and a half years ago. -
Final effort to help 30,000 East Timorese refugees go home
1 Nov 2002 East Timor President Xanana Gusmão has launched a final bid with UNHCR and IOM to persuade East Timorese refugees in West Timor to repatriate. Those who decide to return by year's end will receive transportation to their hometown and a repatriation package. -
Sri Lankan boat people disembark in East Timor
2 Aug 2002 After travelling 3,000 miles and spending 40 days on a boat, 56 Sri Lankans on their way to New Zealand were finally allowed to dock and disembark in East Timor. -
A song of freedom for East Timor
22 May 2002 American soprano and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Barbara Hendricks welcomes the birth of the youngest nation of the 21st century. -
Lubbers welcomes first returnees to independent East Timor
22 May 2002 The High Commissioner for Refugees visits returning East Timorese refugees in the border town of Batugade to discuss their lives since coming home. -
East Timorese to lose refugee status by year's end, says UNHCR
18 May 2002 High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers announces that more than 207,000 East Timorese refugees have returned home to open arms, a sign that national reconciliation can work. -
UNHCR gears up for expected returns to East Timor ahead of independence
13 May 2002 One week before East Timor's Independence Day, UNHCR is replenishing supplies, positioning staff and lining up trucks to cope with the possible return of thousands of the 55,000 East Timorese refugees still outside their homeland. -
East Timorese returning for Independence Day
3 May 2002 Nearly 205,000 refugees have returned since 1999; more set to follow in the three weeks leading up to independence on May 20. -
East Timorese leader in a bid to speed up refugee returns
5 Apr 2002 East Timorese leader Xanana Gusmão and UN refugee agency officials this week paid an unusual visit to the West Timor town of Atambua, in an unprecedented joint attempt to encourage East Timorese refugees to go back home.