`Dili incident blown out of proportion'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas says the
\nrecent student demonstrations in the East Timor capital of Dili
\nhave been widely exaggerated by the foreign media and Indonesia's
\ncritics overseas.<\/p>\n
\"I am sorry to see that it has again been blown out of
\nproportion, because these things can happen at any student
\ngathering in any country,\" Alatas told a press conference at his
\noffice, attended by local and foreign journalists yesterday.<\/p>\n
The incident is not unlike other student protests in any
\nIndonesian city. \"But immediately it becomes a very big affair
\nbecause it happened in East Timor,\" he said.<\/p>\n
This is the first press conference given by Alatas since he
\nreturned to work last Saturday after a two months absence. The
\nminister had been out of action because of a heart attack.<\/p>\n
The Armed Forces (ABRI) has already issued a statement
\nexplaining the chain of events that led up to the demonstration
\nat the state-owned, East Timor University in Dili last week.<\/p>\n
The statement denied that there were any fatalities in the
\nincident when police moved to disperse a protest which was
\nbecoming uncontrollable. A number of people arrested at the time
\nhave been released and the few people who were injured have also
\nbeen discharged from the hospital.<\/p>\n
The military said previous investigations found that not all
\nthe demonstrators were students and that certain parties were
\nbehind the incidents.<\/p>\n
\"(These things) can happen anywhere, but because it happened
\nin East Timor, all kinds of theories developed,\" Alatas said,
\nadding: \"There are always some irresponsible people, some stupid
\npeople, doing stupid things\".<\/p>\n
Alatas denied the accusations made by Bishop Carlos Felipe
\nXimenes Belo, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Dili, that
\nthe conflict in East Timor is now carrying religious
\nconnotations.<\/p>\n
\"I think he knows that there is no religious persecution in
\nEast Timor. He should know better than anyone, as the figures
\nshow that Catholicism has flourished in East Timor since
\nintegration.\"<\/p>\n
Alatas thought it was \"very irresponsible\" to bring in
\naccusations of persecution when actually there was none. \"And he
\nof all people should know that there is great religious tolerance
\nin Indonesia, especially in East Timor. Otherwise the Catholic
\nchurch would not have flourished as it has in the short span of a
\ndecade, as compared to the 400 years of Portuguese colonization.\"<\/p>\n
AMM<\/p>\n
Alatas also briefed reporters about the series of meetings of
\nthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok
\nbeginning on Friday this week which he will attend.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesia had expressed its objections to Thailand
\nagainst the plan by several non-governmental organizations to
\norganize a seminar on East Timor simultaneously in Bangkok.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's objection was based on the fact that the seminar
\nwas used by people who oppose East Timor's integration as a
\npolitical campaign against Indonesia, he said.<\/p>\n
\"There have been numerous seminars on East Timor, and we
\nrealize that these seminars are the means by which our enemies
\nstay alive,\" Alatas said. \"What we try to tell (the ASEAN
\nneighbors) is that this is not one of the pure, academic
\nseminars,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia had also expressed its objection to similar seminars
\nin Manila and Kuala Lumpur over the past two months.<\/p>\n
The ASEAN gathering will open this week with the meeting of
\nthe group's foreign ministers.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the group will hold the inaugural ASEAN Regional
\nForum meeting which will also involve 12 other countries,
\nincluding the United States, China, Russia and Japan, to discuss
\nsecurity situation in the Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n
On July 26-28, the ASEAN ministers will be meeting with their
\ncounterparts from the countries that are their major trading
\npartners. (pwn)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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