Portuguese returns 'home'

JAKARTA (JP): Portuguese aristocrat Dom Duarte Braganca has expressed hope that videotapes of East Timor which he took during his visit there recently would make his people understand the actual situation in the territory.

"I have made a film and it will be shown on Portuguese TV," Dom Duarte told reporters before attending a banquet hosted by Indonesian Ambassador-at-Large for East Timor Affairs Lopez da Cruz here Thursday.

He said the film would counter the negative portrayals of East Timor usually found in Portugal.

Duarte, who arrived here on Nov. 11 and included East Timor and Yogyakarta in his itinerary, said his visit was mainly a nostalgic trip and not a political one, since he did not hold any official role in the Portuguese government. He left Jakarta for Lisbon yesterday.

"I visited East Timor in 1974, so it was basically a nostalgic trip. I wanted to see the country that I like so much. Besides, all my friends are in East Timor," he said.

However, he said he would also relay information about his visit to high-ranking Portuguese officials.

Duarte also said he realized there had been much progress in the area, including advancements in education.

"I have seen the enormous effort that the government has made to develop East Timor and this is one of the things Portuguese people will see in the film," he said.

Former East Timorese governor Mario Viegas Carrascalao said earlier that Portuguese TV station VIK would broadcast Duarte's film on the territory's development since integration with Indonesia.

Duarte is the son of the former Portuguese king, an old friend of Carrascalao.

Duarte was here at the invitation of Dili bishop and Nobel Peace laureate, Mgr. Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo. (10)