SMH- July 7, 2010
Fretilin MP Jose Teixeira, who is a member of East Timor's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, says no details have been announced concerning any processing centre.
The Australian government wants to process asylum seekers in East Timor, but it's not clear if the fledgling nation will agree.
East Timor president Jose Ramos-Horta has given his in-principle support, but Mr Teixeira pointed out on Wednesday that the president doesn't run the country.
"Mr Ramos-Horta is not head of government and doesn't have any constitutional powers over immigration or asylum seekers and we have all been taken aback by his comments," Mr Teixeira told the ABC on Wednesday.
"There's been no details, but in principle, any form of a processing centre of the type that's been discussed are not acceptable.
"It's an unfair burden to set upon us as an emerging society that has a number of social, economic and other pressures on us, it's unfair to put that additional pressure on us."
He says money is not an issue for East Timor because of the royalties it receives from its petroleum fund.
"As far as job creation is concerned, I would rather be developing a tourism industry, not an incarceration industry or an asylum-seeking processing centre," he said.
"I've spoken to a number of MPs right across the political spectrum and it's a negative proposal all round."
On Tuesday, President Ramos-Horta indicated he was open-minded about the proposal.
"If we're to do it, we do it out of our personal humanitarian, our collective convictions in helping other poor people who flee persecution," he told ABC Television.
"I would never turn my back on people who flee violence in Afghanistan or wherever, but on a temporary basis."
Dr Ramos-Horta said he would not bargain with the Australian government about costs, but East Timor would have to be paid to provide food, shelter, clothes and medicine to the asylum seekers.
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