Portuguese reporters denied entry

ATAMBUA, East Nusa Tenggara: Belu Police in East Nusa Tenggara refused entrance to two Portuguese journalists because they did not posses permits from the local immigration office.

"We stopped the two journalists because they only had permits from the Indonesian consulate in Dili, but failed to secure permits from the local immigration office," Belu Police chief Lt. Col. S.M. Simatupang told Antara news agency on Saturday.

The two Portuguese journalists were identified as Antonio Joaquin Zambojinho Velades from RDP daily and Joao Pedro Martins Da Fonseca from Diario de Noticias daily.

"They only held journalist visas and intended to enter East Nusa Tenggara through Mota Ain, which borders East Timor, to cover the latest developments with the East Timorese refugees camped in West Timor (East Nusa Tenggara)," he said.

The two journalists returned to East Timor later on Saturday after being briefed by a liaison officer from the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor, he said.