E. Timor expels two more foreign journalists<\/p>\n
DILI, East Timor (JP): East Timor authorities yesterday
\ndeported two foreigners who they believed were involved in
\njournalistic activity while visiting on an inappropriate visa.<\/p>\n
Major. Laeden Simbolon, the spokesman for the East Timor
\nmilitary, identified the two as 42-year old Irene Velak, a Dutch
\ncitizen, and 49-year old Rose Marie L from Australia.<\/p>\n
AFP however identified them as 35-year old Irene Slegt and 39-
\nyear old Jill Rose Marie Jolliffe. It was not immediately clear
\nwhich media agency they were representing.<\/p>\n
The two entered East Timor on Nov. 28 on a tourist visa. They
\nwere caught by the authorities in the Baucau regency two days
\nlater conducting journalistic work, Simbolon said.<\/p>\n
He added that both visitors were actually journalists by
\nprofession and that their names had already been blacklisted by
\nthe government for their previous articles.<\/p>\n
The East Timor military last month gave marching orders to
\nfour foreign journalists, one for inciting anti-government youths
\nto protest while the others were deported for entering the
\nterritory without proper permits from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The presence of the hordes of foreign journalists in East
\nTimor last month, most of whom went to the territory after
\ncovering the APEC conferences in Jakarta, has been cited as one
\nof the primary reasons that some youths took to the streets in
\nviolent anti-government protest.<\/p>\n
East Timor Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares has said that
\nthe people who oppose East Timor's integration into Indonesia
\nrepresent a minority group of East Timorese.<\/p>\n
Last Thursday, two special envoys of UN Secretary General
\nBoutros Boutros-Ghali on Thursday met with Governor Abilio and
\nother government and military officials in East Timor.<\/p>\n
The two, Frances Vendrell and Thamrat Samuel, were sent to
\ngather information ahead of the next round of meetings between
\nthe foreign ministers of Indonesia and Portugal at the United
\nNations to try to resolve the sovereignty of East Timor.<\/p>\n
The meeting, held under the auspices of the UN chief, is
\nslated for Jan. 9 in Geneva.<\/p>\n
Abilio said that the two UN envoys were asking questions about
\nthe presence of the military in East Timor and about a series of
\nincidents in the former Portuguese territory.<\/p>\n
The governor said that in his response he told the UN envoys
\nthat the military in East Timor is helping with the development
\nof the territory because it can reach the remote areas which are
\nbeyond the reach of civilian agencies and private companies.<\/p>\n
Before coming to East Timor, the two UN officials met with
\nMinister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas in Jakarta. (yac\/emb)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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