'E. Timor given no special treatment'

'E. Timor given no special treatment'

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto declared yesterday that East
Timor will not receive special treatment in any area, including
the establishment of religious organizations.

Such Moslem organizations as Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama
may now "move" and open branches in the predominantly Roman
Catholic province, Soeharto was quoted as saying by Amien Rais,
chairman of the 28 million-member Muhammadiyah.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Soeharto, Amien said that
there is no written regulation against establishing Moslem
organizations in East Timor.

"Muhammadiyah can open (branches) in East Timor," Amien said
in response to the Ministry of Home Affairs' recent suggestion
that Moslem organizations not open branches, at least for the
time being, in East Timor.

"Opening branches there is not meant to propagate Islam among
Catholic believers, but to help Moslems there, especially members
of Muhammadiyah, maintain their faith," Amien said.

Currently there are no proper Moslem organizations in East
Timor and Amien quoted the President as saying that steps will
have to be taken to ensure the peaceful establishment of any new
branches.

The youngest province has long been rocked by racial and
religious tensions. A number of riots took place in September
after a Moslem prison-warden made denigrating remarks about
Catholicism. Similar tension, however, also exists between
Catholic followers and Christians.

Following the riots, Dili Bishop Felipe Ximenes Belo
reportedly suggested that East Timor be declared a special Roman
Catholic region. A great number of people have reacted strongly
to the suggestion, which Belo later denied making.

"It's impossible to turn East Timor into a special region for
Catholicism," Soeharto said yesterday as quoted by Amien. "No
special treatment."

"There's something strange...the development in Indonesia has
often been praised by the international world, but when it comes
to East Timor, the image becomes poor," Soeharto said.

Soeharto blamed the condition on the relentless campaign by
certain parties abroad which continue exploiting the question of
East Timor.

"There's no such thing as referendum in our book," Soeharto
said, adding that the process of East Timor's integration into
Indonesia "is complete." (swe)