Four Timorese break into French embassy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Four East Timorese entered the French embassy
\nyesterday, seeking asylum in Portugal or France.<\/p>\n
French embassy and International Committee of the Red Cross
\n(ICRC) officials discussed the asylum bid with the four Timorese.<\/p>\n
Embassy sources said the East Timorese sought asylum in
\nPortugal, where they could be granted citizenship, but other
\nsources said the youths wanted to seek refuge in France.<\/p>\n
The embassy's first counselor, Martine Dorance, told The
\nJakarta Post that talks were underway on the East Timorese
\nyouths' request but refused to elaborate.<\/p>\n
Embassy spokesman Dominique Roubert told the Post a letter had
\nbeen forwarded to the French ambassador but he declined to reveal
\nits content.<\/p>\n
AFP identified the four men from Los Palos in eastern East
\nTimor as Rui Ximenes, aged 26, Akilis Siqueira, 21, Siquito
\nValente, 18 and Bonifacio Cardoso Diaz, 18.<\/p>\n
Embassy officials said the East Timorese scaled the embassy
\nfence, on Jl. Thamrin, at approximately 5:50 a.m.<\/p>\n
The last embassy break-in by Timorese was in December, when
\nthree people sought refuge also at the French embassy. They were
\ntransferred to Portugal.<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyu Endah, the spokeswoman of the ICRC's representative
\noffice here, said negotiations were still underway.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's break-in takes the total of Timorese seeking
\nasylum in foreign embassies here to 119 since 1993; 72 of them
\nwere in 1996.<\/p>\n
East Timor was integrated into Indonesia in 1976, a move never
\nrecognized by the United Nations or Western states, which still
\nview Lisbon as the territory's administrator. (01)<\/p>",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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