Police to deport American journalist from East Timor
Police to deport American journalist from East Timor
JAKARTA (JP): East Timor Police will deport an American woman
traveling on a tourist visa who was found "engaging in
journalistic activities," Antara reported yesterday.
Lynn Ann Fredekson, 34, was arrested Wednesday while she was
recording a protest by students from the Universitas Timor Timur
in Dili, East Timor, the news agency quoted East Timor Police
Chief Col. Atok Rismanto.
Rismanto denied rumors that two people died in a scuffle that
ensued between protesters and the security personnel.
The protest, which included lighting candles by 300 students
on campus, was held to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the
Nov. 12, 1991, Dili incident, when more than 50 demonstrators,
according to the official figure, died in a clash with security
personnel. Foreign human rights activists claimed that the number
of casualties was actually higher.
Fredekson was at the site of the protest an hour before it
began and had repeatedly encouraged the students to be more
expressive when she was recording the event on her video camera,
Rismanto said.
She was later detained for questioning, and Atok said evidence
was found proving she was a journalist.
"These things will be used as evidence that this suspect
misused her tourist visa by engaging in journalistic activities,"
Rismanto said.
Rismanto said that Fredekson also swallowed a piece of paper
that police suspect contained an address or names she did not
want the police to know.
Fredekson arrived in Indonesia on Nov. 2 through Bali's
international airport on a tourist visa. She arrived in Dili on
Nov. 6 on a commercial flight.
East Timor integrated into Indonesia in 1976 and became its
27th province.
The United Nations and many other countries, including the
United States, however, still recognize Portugal as the
administering power in the territory that was once colonized by
Lisbon.
Protest
Meanwhile, AP reported yesterday from Washington that 11
people were arrested Wednesday outside the Indonesian Embassy
during a mock funeral marking the anniversary of the 1991 Dili
incident.
Van Gosse, a protester and member of Peace Action, said the
demonstrators were quickly arrested as they tried to carry a
seven-foot coffin through the embassy's gates.
The coffin bore the names of 271 people that activists believe
were killed in the incident, Gosse said.
Lt. Bob Lomax, a spokesman for the uniformed division of the
Secret Service, said the 11 people were arrested for failure to
obey an officer and crossing a police line.
He said 64 protesters remained, and the demonstration ended
without further incident.
Meanwhile, Antara has reported that Duques Duarte, Duke of
Braganza, the son of the last Portuguese king of the Braganza
dynasty, is in Indonesia for a four-day visit.
The agency quoted Roving Ambassador for East Timor Affairs
Lopez da Cruz as saying Wednesday that Duarte was also scheduled
to visit East Timor.
The influential Portuguese figure, who is also a parliament
member, arrived here Tuesday.
He said Duarte would also meet Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali
Alatas but he could not confirm the issues to be discussed during
the meeting.
Da Cruz said Duarte is visiting the country on a visa issued
by the Indonesian representative in Wellington, New Zealand.
(swe)