As the Indonesian army began pulling out of the province, some of them are reported to have begun returning to what is left of their homes. But the fate of some 150,000 refugees housed in makeshift camps in West Timor still appears unclear. Many of them were forced out of their homes in East Timor and relocated in tents along the border between East and West Timor. There is no shelter, food or medicine.
Water is a major problem.
Hunger and disease For those refugees hiding in the mountains, conditions are even worse with many of them forced to scavenge for food. They are said to be particularly vulnerable to malaria, cholera, typhoid, measles and ear infections. As some of the refugees trickled back into the towns of East Timor, many contemplated the violence that followed the vote for independence on 30 August. Others said they resisted all attempts to ship them out of the province. Eduarda Menezes recalled her terror when she was forced to give birth to her daughter, Lucia, with pro-independence militia rampaging through Dili.