Timorese youths denounce asylum seekers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): One hundred Timorese youth demonstrated at the
\nHouse of Representatives yesterday to express disgust at the
\nwaves of East Timorese seeking asylum through various foreign
\nembassies here.<\/p>\n
As the demonstrators pledged their allegiance to the country
\nyesterday, a group of four Timorese youths entered the French
\nEmbassy to seek asylum. They were following two previous groups
\nof 21 and five youths, who asked for asylum through the Japanese
\nand French embassies.<\/p>\n
In Paris, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said yesterday
\nhis office was seeking to resolve asylum demands by the four East
\nTimorese, who sought refuge in the French embassy in Jakarta.
\nJust a few days earlier, another group had won asylum in
\nPortugal, not in their intended destination.<\/p>\n
\"We are trying to find a humane solution to their problem,\"
\nspokesman Jacques Rummelhardt told reporters.<\/p>\n
All previous groups had failed to secure asylum in the
\ncountries of their choice and ending up leaving for Portugal
\nunder the auspices of the Jakarta office of the International
\nCommission of the Red Cross.<\/p>\n
Several similar attempts have also been made by East Timorese
\nyouths at the embassies of the United States and Britain. None
\nsucceeded in gaining access to those countries, and all of the
\nasylum seekers eventually departed for Lisbon.<\/p>\n
During the rally at the House building, the pro-integration
\ndemonstrators unfurled banners reading \"East Timor a legitimate
\npart of Indonesia\" and \"East Timorese youth seeking asylum are
\ntraitors\". They also sang patriotic songs, in a manner which a
\nlegislator said gave him goose bumps.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators said they were ashamed of the youths who
\nsought refuge at the foreign embassies.<\/p>\n
They said the claims that the asylum seekers were being
\npersecuted were a lie and that this was merely a political ploy.<\/p>\n
The former Portuguese colony of East Timor integrated into
\nIndonesia in 1976. Several countries still refuse to recognize it
\nas Indonesia's 27th province.<\/p>\n
One of the demonstrators at the House yesterday, Mario Da
\nCosta, said the asylum seekers were creating a very bad image of
\nthe Timorese.<\/p>\n
\"Not all Timorese are troublemakers. Most of us love our
\ncountry, Indonesia,\" Mario said.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators were met by several legislators representing
\nall four factions of the House, including Aisyah Amini from the
\nUnited Development Party, Theo Syafei from the Armed Forces
\nfaction and Marcel Beding from the Indonesian Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
Aisyah Amini said there was no reason for the East Timorese
\nyouth who have left the country to seek asylum in the first place
\nsince they were not in any danger, nor were they being persecuted
\nby the government.<\/p>\n
\"You are free to go anywhere you want in this country without
\na passport because all of you own Indonesia,\" she told the pro-
\nintegration supporters.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, commenting on the wave
\nof asylum seekers, said recently that they were just seeking a
\nfree ticket to get out of the country for economic reasons.<\/p>\n
Foreign ministry officials said they were aware of and
\nmonitoring the latest development at the French embassy and are
\ncurrently seeking to obtain further information. (mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/timorese-youths-denounce-asylum-seekers-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}