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Timor-Leste: two brothers reunited with family after 10 years
18-08-2010 News Release 10/157
Dili (ICRC) – Miguel and Vicente, two brothers of Timorese origin living in Indonesia, visited their relatives in Viqueque, Timor-Leste, on 18 August after having completely lost track of them for 10 years.
They and another brother, Domingos, were separated from their family when conflict erupted in Timor-Leste in 1999. Miguel and Vicente were respectively 9 and 13 years old at the time. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) located all three brothers two months ago in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province after being asked by the relatives in Viqueque to search for them.
" My brothers and I were still children when we were suddenly parted from our relatives, " said Miguel. " We had not seen them for such a long time and we thought of them a lot. So we were really looking forward to seeing them again. "
The ICRC facilitated immigration procedures and organized transportation from Kupang, Indonesia, to Viqueque for Miguel and Vicente. Domingos postponed his travel as his wife just gave birth to a baby. " It is a special day and we are very happy for the brothers, who had been eagerly awaiting the chance to see their loved ones for the first time in a decade, " said Zurab Burduli, the ICRC’s head of mission in Timor-Leste. " Although it can be difficult, finding and reuniting family members separated by tragic events does happen, so there is always hope. "
The ICRC has been working in Timor-Leste for many years and continues to work with all parties to address the needs of the families of people missing as a result of events that took place between 1975 and 1999. In accordance with its mandate, the ICRC endeavours to restore and maintain contact between family members separated from one another by the conflict, including Timorese people allegedly transferred to Indonesia when they were still minors.
For further information, please contact:
Patrick Mégevand, ICRC Jakarta, tel: +62 21 739 67 56 or +62 811 98 25 49
Zurab Burduli, ICRC Dili, tel: +670 331 0452 / 3 or +670 732 1558
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