Australia rejects Timorese asylum seekers

Australia rejects Timorese asylum seekers

JAKARTA (JP): Australia has indicated that it will reject
several hundreds of East Timorese asylum seekers who recently
entered the country using tourist visas.

"They've come as tourists, they've sought asylum and my
understanding is that they've been rejected for asylum status,"
visiting Australian Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs
Senator Nick Bolkus said yesterday.

When questioned by reporters following a meeting with
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Bolkus
explained that the requests were being processed under Australian
law and as a consequence the asylum seekers would have to satisfy
the conditions stipulated under the law.

During a brief two-month period in October and November of
last year, the Australian Consulate in Denpasar, Bali, issued
about 700 tourist visas to East Timorese who said they intended
to visit their relatives in Australia.

Upon their arrival in Australia, many of them sought refugee
status from the government.

The departure of the East Timorese last year came during a
period when tension was high in Indonesia's youngest province as
a result of a bloody clash with ethnic undertones between
Timorese and Bugis traders.

During that time a group of East Timorese also occupied the
United States Embassy in Jakarta demanding political asylum.

"They applied to come to Australia under our normal processing
arrangements," Bolkus said, explaining the entry into that
country with tourist visas by the 700 East Timorese.

Australian newspapers have reported that Canberra is at a loss
to explain why the consulate in Bali granted such a large number
of visas to East Timorese. The reports also say that the
Australian government has set up a special task force to inquire
into the matter further.

Bolkus would not say how many of the East Timorese had applied
for or been denied asylum, but said "all the cases that have been
concluded by the Refugee Review Tribunal have been rejected."

"The Refugee Review Tribunal in Australia has determined that
they are not refugees," he said, adding that "if they can't
sustain their refugee status, then they'll have to return."

The senator further said that the visas obtained from the
consulate were given for visits to relatives and were not issued
to potential refugees.

"The purpose of their visits is to visit their relatives for a
short time," he said.

The former Portuguese colony was integrated as part of
Indonesia in 1976. Despite recognizing Indonesia's sovereignty
over the area, Australia has been a popular haven for East Timor
asylum seekers and is home to a number of East Timor Fretilin
separatist leaders. (mds)