E. Timor expels two more foreign journalists
E. Timor expels two more foreign journalists
DILI, East Timor (JP): East Timor authorities yesterday
deported two foreigners who they believed were involved in
journalistic activity while visiting on an inappropriate visa.
Major. Laeden Simbolon, the spokesman for the East Timor
military, identified the two as 42-year old Irene Velak, a Dutch
citizen, and 49-year old Rose Marie L from Australia.
AFP however identified them as 35-year old Irene Slegt and 39-
year old Jill Rose Marie Jolliffe. It was not immediately clear
which media agency they were representing.
The two entered East Timor on Nov. 28 on a tourist visa. They
were caught by the authorities in the Baucau regency two days
later conducting journalistic work, Simbolon said.
He added that both visitors were actually journalists by
profession and that their names had already been blacklisted by
the government for their previous articles.
The East Timor military last month gave marching orders to
four foreign journalists, one for inciting anti-government youths
to protest while the others were deported for entering the
territory without proper permits from Jakarta.
The presence of the hordes of foreign journalists in East
Timor last month, most of whom went to the territory after
covering the APEC conferences in Jakarta, has been cited as one
of the primary reasons that some youths took to the streets in
violent anti-government protest.
East Timor Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares has said that
the people who oppose East Timor's integration into Indonesia
represent a minority group of East Timorese.
Last Thursday, two special envoys of UN Secretary General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali on Thursday met with Governor Abilio and
other government and military officials in East Timor.
The two, Frances Vendrell and Thamrat Samuel, were sent to
gather information ahead of the next round of meetings between
the foreign ministers of Indonesia and Portugal at the United
Nations to try to resolve the sovereignty of East Timor.
The meeting, held under the auspices of the UN chief, is
slated for Jan. 9 in Geneva.
Abilio said that the two UN envoys were asking questions about
the presence of the military in East Timor and about a series of
incidents in the former Portuguese territory.
The governor said that in his response he told the UN envoys
that the military in East Timor is helping with the development
of the territory because it can reach the remote areas which are
beyond the reach of civilian agencies and private companies.
Before coming to East Timor, the two UN officials met with
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas in Jakarta. (yac/emb)