E. Timor boatpeople a media ploy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has rebuffed Tuesday's landing of 18
\nEast Timorese boat people in Australia as a media ploy designed
\nto embarrass Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The foreign ministry's director of information, Irawan Abidin,
\nsaid it shouldn't be surprising that the landing occurred just
\nbefore Friday's All Inclusive East Timor Dialog in Austria.<\/p>\n
\"Every time an event that is important to Indonesia is about
\nto take place, some activity that is designed to attract
\ninternational attention and embarrass Indonesia is cleverly
\nstaged by the country's detractors,\" he said in a statement made
\navailable to The Jakarta Post yesterday evening.<\/p>\n
Irawan noted that while activists claim the boat people are
\nvictims of Indonesian torture, Australian authorities have found
\nthem to be in pretty good health.<\/p>\n
He commended the Australian authorities' treatment of them as
\narrivals without the necessary legal documents and asserted
\nJakarta's commitment to continue the vigorous development of East
\nTimor.(mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/e-timor-boatpeople-a-media-ploy-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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