Xanana visited by his wife, children
Xanana visited by his wife, children
JAKARTA (JP): Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao, the jailed East
Timor rebel leader, saw his family for the first time in almost
20 years when they visited him at Cipinang prison, East Jakarta,
over the weekend.
Maria Emilia Gusmao, 45, and son Eugenio Paolo, 23, as well as
daughter Zenilda Emilia, 19, arrived here on Thursday from
Australia and returned on Saturday evening after visiting Xanana
both Friday and Saturday.
The spokesman for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Irawan Abidin, said last night that the visit was organized by
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for
"humanitarian reasons."
Irawan said that the 46-year-old Xanana had not seen his wife
and children since they left East Timor to settle in Australia.
Henri Fournier, the head of the ICRC delegation, was quoted by
Agence France Presse as praising the Indonesian government for
its "excellent collaboration."
Fournier said that the three traveled here on Portuguese
passports under the aegis of the ICRC.
"I had not seen my father for 18 years," Zenilda Emilia said,
while Eugenio Paolo added his father appeared "in good shape" and
"showed signs he was also happy to see us."
The East Timorese leader was arrested in 1992 for plotting
against the Indonesian state and for illegally possessing
firearms. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a district
court in East Timor in May the following year, but the sentence
was reduced to 20 years after President Soeharto granted him
clemency.
A source told The Jakarta Post last night that prior to the
Gusmaos' visit, Xanana and four other jailed East Timorese were
visited by their respective families between Tuesday and
Thursday.
The source, who wanted to remain unidentified, said that ICRC
helped bring in two family members of each of the political
prisoners.
She said that Xanana, who is jailed in a separate cell right
in front of the watch tower, currently has a slight kidney
problem.
His wife, clearly moved by the visit, made no comment at the
airport as the family boarded their flight back to Melbourne.
The other four are Joao Freitas da Camara, Fernando de Araujo,
Albino Lourdes and Marito, who were jailed in Cipinang for
staging a protest rally against the Indonesian government
following the Nov. 12, 1991 riot in Dili. The government claimed
50 people were killed after the rally deteriorated into a clash
between the demonstrators and troops. (09)