London studies asylum for East Timor youths<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The British government is studying the
\npossibility of asylum for five East Timorese youths who filed
\ntheir request at the British Embassy in Jakarta, an embassy
\nofficial said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"Yes, it has been sent,\" Eric Jones, First Secretary at the
\nembassy, told The Jakarta Post by phone last night when asked if
\nthe request for asylum had been sent to London. However he could
\nnot predict how long it would take for London to respond.<\/p>\n
In London, a spokesman for the Foreign Office confirmed that
\nBritain had received the application, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n
The five East Timorese were identified by the news agency as
\nJoaquim Antonio Alim, 24, Antonia Batista Sequeira, 24, Egas
\nSoares, 25, Nelson Turquel, 22, and Timotio Jose Fernandes, 23.<\/p>\n
Jones explained that the five were staying in the reception
\narea where they had access to water.<\/p>\n
The five men entered the main embassy building at about midday
\ntelling security guards that they were looking for information on
\nBritain. They then asked for asylum.<\/p>\n
They said they had applied for asylum because they feared
\nrepercussions from the authorities for their support of a
\nseparate East Timor state.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday were in constant
\ntouch with the British embassy over the matter, Antara reported
\nlast night quoting Director of Foreign Information Irawan Abidin.<\/p>\n
Irawan said the five men clearly did not qualify for political
\nasylum. \"They're not political fugitives and they have not been
\nliving under persecuted,\" he was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
One of the five men told international news agencies that he
\nhad organized or taken part in a series of demonstrations and
\nthat the others were members of clandestine network. Three of
\nthem said they took part in the demonstration at the Santa Cruz
\ncemetery in November, 1991, when at least 50 people were killed
\nwhen protesters clashed with soldiers.<\/p>\n
This is the third time since July 1993 that East Timorese
\nyouths have gone to foreign embassies in Jakarta seeking asylum.
\nSeven men spent several weeks at Swedish and Finnish embassies in
\nJuly 1993 before gaining asylum in Portugal.<\/p>\n
Last November, 29 youths won asylum in Portugal after
\noccupying the parking lot of the American embassy for several
\ndays. (emb\/mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/london-studies-asylum-for-east-timor-youths-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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