ABRI wants asylum seekers from Austrian embassy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Armed Forces asked the Austrian
\nembassy here Saturday to hand over an East Timorese couple who
\njumped into the mission compound last month, saying they were
\nterrorists wanted for committing crimes.<\/p>\n
East Timor Military Commander Col. Salamat Sidabutar said the
\ntwo asylum seekers had masterminded the production of home-made
\nbombs to be used for acts of terrorism against people in East
\nTimor and other provinces.<\/p>\n
"The central government has told the Austrian embassy that
\nboth of them have committed terrorism," Antara quoted Sidabutar
\nas saying in Dili.<\/p>\n
Austrian Ambassador Victor Segalla said last month that a
\nfamily of two adults and two children entered the embassy on
\nSept. 19. They were later followed by two more East Timorese
\nadults.<\/p>\n
At least 100 youths have entered foreign embassies in Jakarta
\nin the last few years seeking asylum and claiming persecution.
\nThe government has almost never objected to allow asylum seekers
\nto resettle in Portugal.<\/p>\n
East Timor was integrated into Indonesia as its 27th province
\nin 1976. The United Nations, however, still regards Portugal as
\nthe administrative power there.<\/p>\n
Sidabutar also disclosed that an unidentified man from
\nAustralia arrived in Demak, Central Java, in March and trained
\nthe Timorese youths to make bombs there.<\/p>\n
The man left for Portugal in April and met with East Timorese
\nself-exiled leaders including Maria Al Katiri, Manuel Tilman and
\n1996 Nobel Prize co-winner Ramos Horta.<\/p>\n
Sidabutar also announced on Saturday that police had arrested
\ntwo East Timorese youths on their arrival in Dili on Sept. 15.<\/p>\n
They were identified as Constantio Costa dos Santos and Paulo
\nGeorge Tereira.<\/p>\n
"They were caught red-handed bringing 20 home-made bombs," the
\ncolonel said.<\/p>\n
They also seized 44 rounds of ammunition for M-16 rifles and
\n24 bullets for Colt 31 and FN 45 pistols.<\/p>\n
Forum Keadilan bi-weekly reported the two men also planned to
\nbomb the venue where governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares was sworn
\nin for his second term by Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie
\nS.M. on Sept. 17.<\/p>\n
A home-made bomb exploded accidentally on the night of Sept.
\n13 in a house at Batursari, Demak, Central Java. The house,
\nrented by three East Timorese youths, was heavily damaged.<\/p>\n
Police discovered chemical materials, raw materials for bombs,
\nin the house. The three men, identified only as Joao, Da Costa
\nand Nunu, are still at large.<\/p>\n
International Committee of the Red Cross officials in Jakarta
\nrefused to comment saying they have not been contacted officially
\nby the Austrian embassy.<\/p>\n
"We can arrange travel documents for them only when the
\nembassy has formally approached us," said an official.<\/p>\n
The province of East Timor is still often marred by bloody
\nincidents. The latest incident occurred last week when two men
\nwere killed as violence erupted prior to a religious service on
\ntop of Mt. Ramelau in the Ainaro regency, 120 kilometers south of
\nDili.<\/p>\n
Two school teachers were also killed early last week by two
\nseparatist guerrillas in Baucau.<\/p>\n
Last month, guerrillas killed five soldiers and six civilians
\nin Manatuto, 80 kilometers east of Dili.<\/p>\n
"It will not be easy to convince the Austrian embassy (that
\nthe two are guilty of terrorist activities), unless they are
\ngiven concrete evidence," Sidabutar said.<\/p>\n
Austria will host the All Inclusive Intra East Timorese
\nDialogs from Oct. 20 to Oct. 23 in Vienna.<\/p>\n
In a related development, Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes
\nBelo has called on all participants to the All Inclusive East
\nTimorese Dialogs to carry out their duties well.<\/p>\n
"The participants have received formal invitations from the
\nUnited Nations, and the body has placed its trust on them, so
\nthey have to carry out their task well for the welfare of the
\nEast Timorese," Belo was quoted by Antara as saying on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said the participants should be there as East Timorese who
\nreally wish to look into the future and play their role in
\nfinding a just solution to the East Timor question. (33\/prb\/swe)<\/p>",
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