Seven Timorese refugees suffer in Portugal: Report

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)