Feisal brands asylum seekers 'unpatriotic'
Feisal brands asylum seekers 'unpatriotic'
JAKARTA (JP): Commander of the Armed Forces (ABRI) Gen. Feisal Tanjung yesterday called the East Timorese youths who recently requested political asylum at foreign embassies "irresponsible" and "unpatriotic".
Speaking during a visit to a number of military commands and bases in Dili, East Timor, Feisal said that if the youths had loved their country, they would have stayed and worked hard to develop their homeland.
"If they loved the country, they wouldn't have fled to another country when they didn't even have a reason to do that," he told the Antara news agency.
"They were not being persecuted, there was no problem," he added.
"By fleeing the country, they have tarnished their own names and the names of their hometowns.
"Please take note that none of the asylum seekers were accepted in any other countries but Portugal," he said. "It would have been better for them to stay in East Timor."
Feisal was commenting on the recent waves of East Timorese youths entering the embassies of Japan and France to request political asylum, citing persecution by the Armed Forces at home.
All of the groups who sought sanctuary in the foreign embassies were eventually helped by the Jakarta office of the International Commission of the Red Cross to leave for Lisbon, Portugal.
In another part of his explanation, Feisal said the presence of the military in the region aimed only at helping establish stability and security, so that development programs could commence well.
In a related development, East Timor Police Chief, Col. Andreas Sugianto, reported yesterday the foiling of an attempt by 35 East Timorese to flee to Darwin, Australia, by hijacking a motor boat.
The captain and five crewmen of the Tasi Diak 114 were paid to take the group from Hera port, East Dili, to Kisar Island in Maluku province on Saturday. En route, the East Timorese forced the captain to change direction and head for Darwin.
The crew members tried to thwart the group's plan by taking the boat to Com port in Lautem regency, where the crew tried to abandon the boat. Their passengers forced them back onto the vessel.
The captain then dumped the fuel, stranding the boat on Beaco beach in Viqueque regency, 265 kilometers east of Dili, where it was found by local security personnel.
The East Timorese escapees -- including four children and nine women -- were returned to Dili. The police are holding them for questioning.
"So far we have found out that they did this because they wanted to have a better life in Australia," Andreas said.
Viqueque Regent I Ketut Lunca told The Jakarta Post that the East Timorese had split into two groups in Lautem regency. Nine of them changed their minds about fleeing to Australia and got off the boat there. (yac/fai/swe)