Indonesia protests release of East Timorese

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian embassy in Canberra is strongly protesting the Australian government's decision to release 18 illegal East Timorese immigrants from a detention center and for allowing them to become residents.

The embassy said in a press statement Saturday that Canberra's decision could jeopardize Indonesian-Australian relations.

The embassy's ad-interim charge d'affairs, Zakaria Soemintaatmadja, said in the statement that the release of the asylum seekers was regrettable because the decision was taken without due court procedures.

Zakaria expressed the Indonesian government's deep regret when he was summoned by the Australian foreign ministry to be informed of the asylum seekers' release, Antara reported.

The East Timorese arrived by boat in Darwin in May to seek political asylum, a move the Indonesian government has questioned since they were not under any threat at home.

According to Antara, the court in Darwin that examined the East Timorese shortly after they were detained found no evidence that they had been physically or mentally hurt.

Some or the asylum seekers claimed that they left their home territory because they had been abused by the Indonesian Armed Forces.

Their release was front-page news last week in the Australian media, which criticized Canberra's decision as being politically motivated and not very sound legally. They said that the decision was a move aimed at pressuring the Indonesian government on the East Timor question.

The Australian newspaper said that the decision could hurt Indonesia's feelings and lead to more East Timorese people entering Australia illegally.

Others questioned why the Australian government was so quick to release the East Timorese and allow them to become residents while many Indochinese migrants have been waiting for years in hopes of receiving the same status. (pan)