Belo concerned over deportation

DILI, East Timor: Dili Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo expressed deep concern yesterday over the plight of Indonesians being deported from Malaysia, Antara reported.

"I sent the letter (stating concern) last April 4 to Minister of Manpower Theo Sambuaga, House of Representatives Speaker Harmoko, the governor of Aceh, the presidium of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) and Minister of Religious Affairs Quraish Shihab," the Nobel peace laureate said.

In the four-page letter, he also called for solidarity among the people for the sake of peace and justice.

"We oppose liberalism, which refuses government intervention in socioeconomic affairs and supports labor unions to defend themselves," Belo wrote.

He emphasized that problems involving Indonesian workers abroad and their impact were a complex concern for the country. Everybody has a moral responsibility in this issue, he added.

"We ought not to... stage demonstrations as this will not solve problems. It even makes things worse," he said.

He called for concrete actions from the entire nation to help those being deported from Malaysia, mainly through fighting for their rights and dignity as human beings.

He also urged all parties to find the best solution to the problem, such as by creating jobs for the people instead of abandoning them.

Antara also reported yesterday that the National Commission on Human Rights will shortly send a fact-finding team to Semenyih detention camp in Malaysia to investigate the clash between rioting Indonesian migrants about to be deported and security officers. One officer and eight Indonesians were killed last month.

Commission members B.N. Marbun and Soegiri revealed the plan when they received a delegation of the Consortium of Indonesian Immigrants Defenders (Kopbumi).

"We have not received any comprehensive report yet on the incident, not even the names of the victims. That's why we think it is necessary to send a fact-finding team there," Marbun said.

He quoted a report which said the Malaysian authorities insisted on deporting even injured people without giving them medical treatment first.

"Even criminals are sent for medical treatment before they are sent for trial or to prison," he said.