Government should study asylum issue: Legislators<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Prominent legislators urged the government
\nyesterday to find out why hundreds of people from East Timor have
\nsought political asylum in Australia during the past year.<\/p>\n
Sabam Sirait and Abu Hasan Sazili warned that the issue would
\nbe exploited by those critical of Indonesian policies in East
\nTimor to discredit the country in international fora.<\/p>\n
Sabam yesterday scoffed at the immigration office's apparent
\nbid to play down reports that 700 East Timorese had sought
\npolitical asylum in Australia over the past 14 months.<\/p>\n
Director General of Immigration Pranowo claimed on Tuesday
\nthat, of the 700, \"only\" 140 were native East Timorese and the
\nrest were ethnic Chinese who wanted to open businesses in
\nAustralia.<\/p>\n
\"In this case I don't think it's relevant to talk about their
\nethnic background. They are all Indonesians anyhow,\" said Sabam,
\na member of the House of Representatives from the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
Sabam said the government had a responsibility to genuinely
\ninvestigate what was happening in Indonesia's youngest province
\nthat was driving people abroad.<\/p>\n
Sazili, from the ruling Golkar party, said it was necessary
\nfor the government to find out why the immigration office had
\nissued passports to so many people from East Timor.<\/p>\n
He said that some pro-independence groups in East Timor liked
\nto dramatize their demands in order to attract the world's
\nattention.<\/p>\n
About 700 East Timorese have reportedly arrived in various
\nparts of Australia via Denpasar, Bali, over the past several
\nmonths using tourist visas.<\/p>\n
Upon arrival in Australia, many of them have applied to the
\nAustralian government for refugee status. Those requests have,
\napparently, all been refused.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, security authorities briefly detained 44 East
\nTimorese for questioning on their arrival at Tanjung Priok harbor
\non Tuesday. Police said the 44 were questioned on suspicion that
\nthey planned to stage a demonstration to coincide with UN
\nSecretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's visit to the Indonesian
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
The detainees, four of them women, were released on the same
\nday and allowed to continue their journeys to Jakarta, Bandung
\nand Bogor.<\/p>\n
Spokesman for the Jakarta city police Lt. Col. Bambang Haryoko
\nwas quoted by the Kompas daily as saying that the police had yet
\nto establish the purpose of the 44 East Timorese people's visit.<\/p>\n
\"It's still unclear whether they wanted to demonstrate, seek
\nasylum or just visit Jakarta like other passengers on the ship,\"
\nhe said. (yud\/imn\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-should-study-asylum-issue-legislators-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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