More Timorese reach embassy

More Timorese reach embassy

JAKARTA (JP): Nine East Timorese jumped over the fence of the Australian embassy on Wednesday evening, the second break-in at the mission on Jl. Rasuna Said in less than a month.

The Australian Embassy spokeswoman, Joanne Eyre, said yesterday that the seven men and two women had scaled the embassy walls at around 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

"When they arrived last night they indicated that they would like to talk to embassy officials," Eyre said, adding that discussions were still going on.

She could not say whether the East Timorese had demanded political asylum as was the case with the earlier break in.

On Jan. 10 two East Timorese women entered the embassy and asked for political asylum. They left for Lisbon just two days later.

Although Australia has formally recognized the 1976 integration of the former Portuguese colony with Indonesia, it has been one of the staunchest critics of Indonesian policies and human rights abuses in East Timor.

As well as the Australian embassy, the French, Polish and New Zealand embassies have also been the targets of East Timor asylum seekers. All 23 of them settled for Lisbon after their initial request for asylum to the embassy's home country was rejected.

The government has denounced the requests for asylum as publicity stunts, and as a way of obtaining free tickets to Portugal. It also said that none of the East Timorese were being persecuted and that they were all free to leave. (mds)