Portuguese returns 'home'

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)