'Don't let Timorese youths return'

'Don't let Timorese youths return'

DILI, East Timor: Councilor Samuel Alex Petruz called on the government to not allow the return of youths who have fled to Portugal.

"Even if they have expressed their regrets and wish to come home, I personally think we should not allow them," Petruz was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying yesterday.

"They have tarnished Indonesia's name," he added.

Petruz said the government should turn its attention toward the greater number of East Timorese who are loyal to and love the country, rather than wasting time thinking about the youths who fled the country.

For the past several months, more than 100 East Timorese youths have flocked to foreign embassies in Jakarta to seek political asylum, citing persecution by the military in the region. (swe)