Ministers question etiquette of Belo's 'slave' comments
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian ministers yesterday questioned whether it was fitting for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo to make comments saying the government treated East Timorese people like slaves.
"Let me put it this way, I just want to question again whether it's becoming for someone like Belo, who has received a Nobel prize, to say things like that," Minister of Defense and Security Edi Sudradjat replied when asked about the comment.
"Is that the reality? We can ask the East Timorese people whether they agree with Belo's remarks, let the people themselves judge," Edi told journalists at the State Palace.
In a recent interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, Belo said Armed Forces (ABRI) soldiers in Indonesia's 27th province treated East Timorese like dogs.
The article further described the disquiet on the part of the government over the recent awarding of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize to Belo and the self-exiled East Timor separatist leader Jose Ramos Horta. Jakarta questioned the criteria for Horta's selection but some officials have welcomed the award for Belo.
East Timor Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares had openly congratulated Belo.
Yesterday, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, when asked for comments, went on to question Belo's Nobel award.
"That's why from the beginning I've always questioned the criteria used by the Nobel Committee for Ramos Horta and Belo," Moerdiono said.
Apart from claiming various military abuses toward the East Timorese people, Belo further said that no less than nine attempts had been made on his life.
Edi Sudradjat merely smiled when asked about these assassination charges. "Oh, really?" he said.
The tiny province of East Timor was integrated into Indonesia in 1976. However, some countries refuse to recognize it as does the United Nations. They still regard the former colonial power Portugal as the territory's administrative authority.
Belo could not be reached for comments yesterday. (mds/03)