Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Thursday 4 September 1975, page 3


I

"10,000 waiting to go'

to Indonesian Timor

JAKARTA,. Wednesday (AAP-Reutcr). -The . Indonesian Home Minister, Mr Machmud, had'talks on the problem of refugees from Portuguese Timor today with Lieutenant-General Widodo, the military commander for Java and Nusa islands which include Timor. ,

Genera! Widodo who has just returned from a tour of the border between Indonesian Timor and the adjoining Portuguese Colony, said about 10,000 refugees fleeing the bloodshed in the colony were reported to be waiting to cross into .Indonesia.

After his one-hour'meeting with the . minister, General Widodo said, "The

talks are urgent' in view of. the growing number of refugees fleeing to' Indonesia Timor".

General Widodo said 700 refugees had crossed' into Indonesian Timor since the outbreak of the civil war three weeks ago.

"We must take immediate steps to accommodate them otherwise there can be social repercussions in Indonesian Timor", he said. .

The Governor of Indonesian Timor, -Mr-Em El Tari, was making prepara

tions io meet a request from the Portuguese Timor Governor, Colonel Lemos Pircs, who had asked for one tonne of potatoes, 1,000 bottles of beer, sugar, coffee and other daily needs..

"Indonesia is regarded by the people in Portuguese Timor as thcyr saviour who can take them out of tho current war there". Genera] Widodo said.

On the situation in Dili, capital of Portuguese Timor, General-Widodo, said Fretilin had managed to gain control of most of. the

town.

Portugal's special envoy, Dr Santos, is expected to return to Jakarta tomorrow after ' holding talks with

Colonel Pires at the. .head-, qtiartcrs he had set up at Atauro Island off Timor. \

More than 170 evacuees on board a Japanese trawler are heading for Darwir

from Timor;

In a ' statement issued ir Canberra, the Minister fof Labor- ? and Immigration Senator James -McClelland said the trawler, the . Kon pira Maru, would arrive ir Darwin this morning. '

So far 2.238 people had reached Darwin from Timor. .

.He said 167 were repatriated to Portugal on a charter flight which left Darwin yesterday, bringing the total repatriated to 689.

Of those remaining in. Australia, 1,168 had been

flown 10 Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.

The Opposition's spokesman on foreign affairs, Mr Peacock, said yesterday that the Government's refusal lo become involved in the problems of Portuguese Timor might force Indonesia into "reluctant unilateral, inter

vention".

The Campaign for Independent East Timor said last night that the Government was , stopping journalists from going to Timor in the name, of not taking sides.

. "Now that the fighting had ceased, the. Australian Government should remove immediately the ban on jour; nalists travelling t to Timor

and should establish official .representation in Dili", it

said.