RI mulls putting Xanana under house arrest

JAKARTA (JP): Responding to both local and international appeals, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said on Monday the government continued to study the possibility of house arrest for jailed East Timorese rebel leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao.

The minister said the government had received calls from various parties to release Xanana and put him under house arrest. He is currently detained at Cipinang Prison, East Jakarta.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is among the proponents after Indonesia ruled out his earlier proposal for Xanana's release.

"We are still studying the possibilities," Alatas said after meeting with President B.J. Habibie at the Merdeka Palace.

Alatas, referring to an earlier statement of Minister of Justice Muladi, offered the qualifier that there was no legal basis for house arrest for a convict.

"House arrest cannot be given to a convict, it is no longer possible, but ... yeah," Alatas remarked.

Citing senior Indonesian government sources, The Australian last week said Alatas had raised the house arrest option for Xanana during a Cabinet meeting.

The daily said Habibie was likely to accept house arrest status for Xanana if requirements could be met.

Three visiting U.S. congressmen, including Earl Blumenauer, recently urged Habibie to release Xanana on humanitarian grounds.

Serving a reduced 20-year jail term, Xanana receives special treatment from prison officials, including the right to meet with foreign diplomats and media.

"This is just an idea, but I still cannot give anything concrete," Alatas replied when pressed further about Xanana's future.

Military observer Lt. Gen. (ret) Hasnan Habib believed Xanana's release would be a progressive move by the government because of his recognition by the international community as a political prisoner.

"His release will offer advantages," Habib said in an interview published in Monday's The Jakarta Post. (prb)