Advice for Timorese youths

YOGYAKARTA: East Timor Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares called on youths in the former Portuguese colony to stop making an issue out of integration with Indonesia.

East Timorese youths should stop concentrating on political, social and religious issues and focus instead on development, he said when addressing a seminar on East Timor's integration into Indonesia.

"East Timorese should not become involved in the conflict of ideas on the province's integration that foreigners are perpetuating," he said.

The former Portuguese colony became part of Indonesia in 1976 following a year of civil bloodshed triggered by the abrupt withdrawal of the Portuguese colonial administrators.

The United Nations has yet to recognize East Timor's integration into Indonesia.

Abilio said socioeconomic disparity remained a major problem in East Timor. Recent riots in several places might well have been fueled by the widening gulf between the rich and the poor, he said.

"But it should be noted that such disparity exists everywhere around the world."

He said that many East Timorese are still not ready to accept people from other provinces. They fear better-trained migrants usually snatch the limited job openings.

The latest riot happened in Ambeno on Feb. 21. More than 80 houses owned by Bugis migrants were burned and 352 people fled home to South Sulawesi. (mun)