Joop says Auckland incident due to a misunderstanding

Joop says Auckland incident due to a misunderstanding

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications, Joop Ave, said last night that the
allegations that he had sexually assaulted a New Zealand hotel
employee earlier this week were based on a misunderstanding.

In a statement made available to The Jakarta Post last night
Joop said the accusations must have arisen from an incident last
Sunday evening when he and three members of his staff were
preparing for a dinner party in the Carlton Hotel in Auckland.

"The atmosphere was jovial and cordial as the waiter had
become the regular one to serve the entire party in my suite as
well as other rooms.

"The atmosphere was almost family like and like in Indonesia
with shoving and touching of the arm and knee," Joop said.

"It must have been here that a misunderstanding occurred," the
minister said.

The minister was in Auckland to open a Pacific Area Travel
Association (PATA) conference. Joop, the outgoing chairman of
PATA, had been scheduled to hand the chairmanship over to a new
chairman during the conference.

However, when the conference opened the following day Joop was
not present, having left New Zealand by private jet. A ministry
spokesman said on Thursday Joop had cut short his visit because
he had been summoned to Jakarta by President Soeharto on urgent
business. He also cited health reasons.

The minister said that the Sunday night dinner had gone ahead
as scheduled and that, immediately following the incident, the
waiter had "left the suite smiling, friendly as before."

"One hour later through the open doors the G.M. arrived with a
lady staff member. He discreetly informed me that one of his
staff (the waiter) filed a complaint that he had been molested
and had gone to the police to complain as well as to the press.

"I responded that there must be a misunderstanding and that it
was not true. The G.M. then left the suite," Joop said.

Joop said that after dinner he called Jakarta and reported
what had happened. He said that he "received instructions to
return home as soon as possible." The minister then spoke with
PATA officials who, he said, told him that the alleged assault
"might become an emotional issue that might embarrass PATA."

On the basis of that consideration, as well the fact that he
was suffering from a throat infection, the minister decided not
to attend the conference's opening ceremony and to return to
Jakarta instead.

The minister yesterday expressed only praise for his New
Zealand hosts, PATA and the Carlton hotel. He also praised the
waiter for his "perfect behavior", saying "if inadvertently I
must have hurt the boy's honor and feeling, I do apologize and
state that his honor and dignity remain without blemish."

"...If I have erred, done wrong, hurt feelings, I apologize
to whomever I need to. Causing hurt was never my intention.

"My love and respect for PATA remains undiminished, my
admiration for the people and the government of New Zealand
remain as strong," Joop said. (dal)