Govt awaits Belo's public explanation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government says it still wants to hear a
\npublic explanation from East Timor Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes
\nBelo about his remarks in the German press, although he has
\nreportedly renounced his remarks at a meeting with officials.<\/p>\n
"The truth about Belo's remarks can only be determined after
\nhis public explanation on Monday," Coordinating Minister for
\nPolitical Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman announced at his
\noffice yesterday.<\/p>\n
Belo, who shares this year's Nobel Peace Prize with East Timor
\nseparatist movement leader Ramos Horta, was quoted in the Oct. 14
\nedition of Der Spiegel magazine as saying Indonesian troops had
\ntreated East Timorese people like "scabby dogs" and "slaves."<\/p>\n
The articles angered the military and provoked protests in
\nJakarta condemning the bishop. These in turn prompted massive
\ncounter protests in Dili supporting the bishop and denouncing the
\ntreatment he received during his visit in Jakarta last week.<\/p>\n
Soesilo said Belo's public explanation will be cross-checked
\nagainst all the information obtained by the government.<\/p>\n
"If Belo claims the remarks were not true, then this becomes a
\nproblem between him and the German magazine," he said after the
\nswearing in of medium-ranked officials in his office.<\/p>\n
Information<\/p>\n
He said he has received information about the Belo interview
\nfrom three different sources.<\/p>\n
The first source was the Indonesian embassy in Germany.<\/p>\n
The second was a copy of minutes of a meeting between Belo and
\ntop government and military officials in East Timor on Monday.<\/p>\n
And the third was a copy of an interview between the
\nIndonesian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China and
\nJuergen Kremb, the German reporter who wrote the article.<\/p>\n
Soesilo declined to disclose details of the information he has
\nreceived.<\/p>\n
But East Timor Police Chief Col. Yusuf Muharam said Tuesday
\nthat Belo has signed a statement renouncing the articles and has
\nsaid he never made the statements printed in the magazine.<\/p>\n
Belo, a native East Timorese, has neither publicly confirmed
\nnor denied making the remarks, but has promised to explain the
\nmatter at a news conference in Dili on Nov. 25.<\/p>\n
The East Timor Diocese in Dili yesterday criticized the police
\nchief for going public with the minutes of the meeting with Belo.<\/p>\n
The diocese's secretary, Dominggus Sequeira, said the meeting
\nwas confidential and its content should not have been made
\npublic, especially since the bishop had called a news conference
\nto explain the issue on Monday.<\/p>\n
Confusion still surrounds the nature of the interview, with
\nsome saying it happened five years ago, while some say it took
\nplace last month.<\/p>\n
Col. Yusuf said Tuesday that Belo said he recalled giving a
\ntelephone interview to a reporter from Der Spiegel, a woman, five
\nyears ago. But what appeared in the article was different from
\nthe actual interview. According to Yusuf, Belo said, "the article
\ndid not portray the context of the interview at that time".<\/p>\n
Yusuf concluded that the bishop's remarks were twisted by the
\nforeign reporter who does not like the Indonesian government.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Armed Forces Chief for Sociopolitical Affairs Lt.
\nGen. Syarwan Hamid said in Ponorogo, East Java, yesterday that
\nBelo ought to sue Der Spiegel if the article published in the
\nmagazine was not true, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
"Belo should sue the German magazine if he feels the article
\nis slanderous to the Indonesian government," Syarwan said.<\/p>\n
Syarwan called on the people not to hastily pass judgment
\nagainst the bishop until he explains the situation to the public.
\n(imn\/33)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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