Asylum seekers depart as French FM arrives

Asylum seekers depart as French FM arrives

JAKARTA (JP): Two East Timorese asylum seekers holed up in the French embassy left quietly for Portugal on Saturday, less than 24 hours before the scheduled arrival of French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette.

Accompanied by officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the two Timorese voyaged through a flooded Jakarta over the weekend and headed for the airport, where they boarded a KLM flight bound for Amsterdam. From there they will board another plane for Lisbon.

The two scaled the walls of the French embassy on Friday, marking the fourth time in three months the embassy has had to host Timorese youths seeking asylum abroad.

Their swift departure has helped to avoid a possibly uncomfortable situation, which could have developed with the arrival of the French foreign minister yesterday at 7:20 p.m.

Charette will meet with his Indonesian counterpart Ali Alatas this morning followed by meetings with Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto and Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie.

Meanwhile, seven men and two women, all East Timorese, spent their fifth night at the Australian embassy yesterday evening.

Sources indicate that they are holding out for more than just asylum for Portugal and are demanding refuge in Australia. (mds)