E. Timorese citizens demand asylum

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Twenty-six East Timorese citizens have requested political asylum from the Indonesian government due to fear of intimidation back home, an Indonesian official has said.

However, the Indonesian government initially turned down the request on the grounds that the 26 East Timorese previously refused to become Indonesian citizens, said Col. Moeswarno Moesanip, the chief of Wirasakti Military Resort overseeing East Timor Province (NTT).

"The 26 East Timorese took refuge in Indonesia after the 1999 East Timor mayhem, and they were given a chance to obtain Indonesian citizenship.

"However, instead of doing that, they returned later on to their hometown and became citizens of East Timor," Moeswarno told The Jakarta Post. -JP