Seven Timorese refugees suffer in Portugal: Report

JAKARTA (JP): The seven young East Timorese who briefly occupied the Swedish and Finnish embassies last year are now living in deplorable conditions in Portugal, after taking up Lisbon's offer of asylum, according to a Portuguese periodical.

"They live in shameful poverty and have no jobs. They pass many of their days in hunger. They feel they've been deceived," the Antara news agency reported yesterday quoting a June edition of Publico newspaper.

News of their condition comes in sharp contrast to the promises given last year by Portuguese foreign minister Durao Barosso, according to the article written by Antonio Marujo.

The Antara report was published on Friday, a day after 29 other East Timorese left for Portugal, ending their 12-day sit-in at the American embassy's parking lot in Jakarta.

The East Timorese protesters, who oppose East Timor's integration with Indonesia, had refused the original Portuguese offer of asylum but were eventually persuaded in the absence of any other offer.

The government has repeatedly given assurances that they will not be punished and stressed that they were free to leave the country, if anyone was willing to accept them.

Like the seven youths who fled last year, many of the 29 who left on Thursday had given up scholarships to study at university.

The seven now in Portugal are Florencio Anunciacio Fernandes (22), Profirio da Costa Oliveira (23), Jose Manuel de Oliveira Sousa (24), Mateus Brito Ximenes (23), Ventura Valentim (25), Clementino Faria (27) and Oscar Gonzalves da Silva (20).

According to the Publico article, one of them complained about the facilities provided by the Portuguese government.

Their accommodations are dismal, generally one room is shared by four persons, and the stipends they receive are minimal.

One of the youths said that many of those East Timorese who came to Portugal last year were now considering moving to Australia. (emb)