Churches offer haven for E. Timor refugees<\/p>\n
CANBERRA (Agencies): Convents, churches and monasteries around
\nAustralia are offering sanctuary to East Timorese refugees in a
\nmove that could set them against the national government and land
\nthem in jail.<\/p>\n
About 2,000 Christians have formed the Christian Sanctuary
\nNetwork in a bid to stop the East Timorese being sent back to the
\ndisputed Indonesian province of East Timor, Catholic nun Kathleen
\nO'Connor said yesterday.<\/p>\n
"We are going to offer sanctuary, protect them and hide them
\nin our churches," said O'Connor. "We have invoked an ancient and
\ntraditional practice of the Christian church," she added.<\/p>\n
About 1,300 people from the former Portuguese colony now ruled
\nby Indonesia have applied for political asylum in Australia,
\nraising Jakarta's ire and threatening the often stormy relations
\nbetween the two neighbors.<\/p>\n
Protecting delicate relations with Jakarta, Australia last
\nmonth ruled out political asylum to people fleeing East Timor on
\nthe grounds they were entitled to Portuguese citizenship.<\/p>\n
But it has granted temporary asylum to some East Timorese
\nrefugees who said they were treated unfairly by Indonesian
\ntroops, sparking protests from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The sanctuary network is offering religious sanctuary, an
\nancient convention giving protection to people on sacred ground,
\nto any East Timorese refused asylum and facing deportation.<\/p>\n
Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans yesterday dismissed
\nthe sanctuary offer as "wildly premature", saying refugee
\napplications were still before the independent Refugee Review
\nTribunal. A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Nick Bolkus also
\nsaid it was premature to prejudge the cases.<\/p>\n
Sanctuary network members face up to six months in jail under
\nAustralian law for harboring illegal immigrants.<\/p>\n
"We have legal counsel and we realize the implications and we
\nare prepared to go all the way," O'Connor said.<\/p>\n
O'Connor, who visited East Timor in 1994, said the group was
\nalso pressing the Australian government to take tougher action
\nagainst Indonesia over human rights abuses.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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