Protests on Belo break out<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A string of demonstrations, either sympathizing
\nwith or condemning East Timor Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo
\nbroke out in several cities yesterday as the debate over his
\n\"scabby dog\" comments continued.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, about 2,000 activists of the youth wings of the
\nruling Golkar political organization massed in front of the House
\nof Representatives to express their outrage at Belo's comments.<\/p>\n
Donning yellowish uniforms and carrying banners, they
\ndenounced the Bishop for his insidious remarks which they said
\nthreatened national unity. Some of them demanded that Belo be
\nexpelled.<\/p>\n
In the Central Java capital of Semarang, a group of students
\nrepresenting the student senate of Diponegoro University
\ndelivered a petition to the regional legislature demanding Belo
\nexplain his comments.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Dili, students from the University of East Timor
\nheld a counter demonstration in support of Belo and to express
\ntheir dissatisfaction at the treatment given to him while in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\"An anti-Belo stance means being against the people of East
\nTimor,\" they said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Sparking the controversy were Belo's remarks made in a recent
\ninterview with German magazine Der Spiegel in which he reportedly
\nsaid Indonesian troops treated East Timorese like \"scabby dogs\".<\/p>\n
Belo who just last month, in the eyes of Jakarta,
\ncontroversially shared the 1996 Nobel peace prize with Timorese
\nseparatist leader Jose Ramos Horta, is known to be a strong
\ncritic of human rights violations in East Timor.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's series of demonstrations coincided with the fifth
\nanniversary of the Nov. 12, 1991 Dili incident in which anti-
\nintegration demonstrators clashed with security forces, resulting
\nin the death of around 50 people.<\/p>\n
The acting rector of the University of East Timor, Armindo
\nMaya, maintained that demonstrations by his students had nothing
\nto do with the anniversary of the Dili incident.<\/p>\n
\"It was spontaneous because they couldn't accept the treatment
\ngiven to Belo who is the highest ranking Catholic leader here,\"
\nArmindo said as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
\"So it really is a reaction to the actions against Belo (in
\nJakarta),\" he added.<\/p>\n
Belo arrived in Jakarta on Monday to attend a meeting of the
\nIndonesian Bishops Conference.<\/p>\n
About 50 journalists awaited the 48-year-old bishop outside
\nthe conference room to get his comment on the latest development.<\/p>\n
He side stepped direct questions but reiterated a previous
\nstatement asking to be given time to check the recording of his
\ninterview with the Der Spiegel journalist.<\/p>\n
\"At the right time I will explain the truth and the faults of
\nthe published interview. Whether the interview is true or
\ntwisted, we have to first listen to Der Spiegel's recording,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He promised to answer questions at a proper press conference
\non Nov. 24 in Dili after the blessing of the Christ the King
\nstatue.<\/p>\n
\"I myself have not yet seen a copy of the interview. Now
\neverybody spurs on their anger, they have the right to do that.
\nI'd rather keep silent,\" he added.<\/p>\n
With Vatican ambassador Mgr. Pietro Sambi helping fend off
\njournalists, Belo was quickly whisked away by a car with the
\ndiplomatic license plate of the Holy See.<\/p>\n
Roman Catholic priest Y.B. Mangunwijaya would not respond when
\nasked of Belo's reported comments but questioned whether there
\ncould have been a misquotation.<\/p>\n
\"We have to understand the journalistic style of that magazine
\nwhich tends to make a story extreme so it sounds hot,\" said
\nMangunwijaya after the conference.<\/p>\n
He added that the country was over-reacting in its response to
\nthese reports.<\/p>\n
In Bandung, West Java, the former governor of the National
\nResilience Institute, Lt. Gen. Soebijakto, said that Belo should
\nremember that it was actually the Armed Forces which called on
\nthe Vatican to place a representative in Dili. (17\/26\/05\/mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/protests-on-belo-break-out-1447893297",
"image": ""
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