'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)