E. Timor boatpeople a media ploy

E. Timor boatpeople a media ploy

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has rebuffed Tuesday's landing of 18
East Timorese boat people in Australia as a media ploy designed
to embarrass Jakarta.

The foreign ministry's director of information, Irawan Abidin,
said it shouldn't be surprising that the landing occurred just
before Friday's All Inclusive East Timor Dialog in Austria.

"Every time an event that is important to Indonesia is about
to take place, some activity that is designed to attract
international attention and embarrass Indonesia is cleverly
staged by the country's detractors," he said in a statement made
available to The Jakarta Post yesterday evening.

Irawan noted that while activists claim the boat people are
victims of Indonesian torture, Australian authorities have found
them to be in pretty good health.

He commended the Australian authorities' treatment of them as
arrivals without the necessary legal documents and asserted
Jakarta's commitment to continue the vigorous development of East
Timor.(mds)