Dutch give E. Timorese speedy flight

Dutch give E. Timorese speedy flight

JAKARTA (JP): Four East Timorese left for Portugal via
Amsterdam only hours after they entered the Dutch embassy here on
Monday, the quickest asylum seekers to have left the country in
the recent spate of break-ins since last September.

Meanwhile, another group of four East Timorese at the
Australian embassy broke the record yesterday for the longest
ever hold-out when they began their second week in the compound.

They are the survivors of a group which previously consisted
of nine people; the other five had left the embassy citing health
problems.

The East Timorese who left on Monday entered the Dutch Embassy
compound on Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, in the morning and
left less than 10 hours later to board a KLM flight bound for
Amsterdam. This is the third time in six-months that East
Timorese asylum seekers have entered the Dutch embassy compound.

It was the fastest departure in the recent wave of asylum
bids. The record was previously held by two Timorese who entered
the French embassy on Feb. 9 and left the next day.

With the departure they increased to 72 the number of East
Timorese who have left for Portugal since mid-September after
their initial requests for asylum to other countries were
rejected.

The longest hold-out was previously made by 29 East Timorese
youths who "resided" at the United States embassy for 13-days
during the week of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit
here in November 1994. Their demand for asylum to the U.S. was
rejected and they opted for Portugal instead.

The East Timorese at the Australian embassy entered by scaling
the mission's fences on Feb. 7.

The embassy has rejected their demands saying that there was
no basis for asylum, and offered the option of either applying
for a visa or going to Portugal.

Five of them left the embassy on Sunday. Three of them had to
be immediately admitted to hospital after undertaking a two-day
hunger strike, while the other two left the embassy in order to
accompany their friends.

Informed sources say that at least three of them have been
questioned by the police.

While recognizing East Timor's integration as Indonesia's 27th
province, Australia has remained one of Jakarta's harshest
critics on its policies in the former Portuguese colony and home
for many anti-integration activists.

Meanwhile, AFP reported from Vatican City on Tuesday that a
senior papal envoy was scheduled to visit Indonesia, including
East Timor, and meet with President Soeharto and other civilian
and military officials.

Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who is head of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace was due to arrive yesterday. He is
also expected to meet East Timor Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes
Belo. (mds)