Antara (Indonesia)

September 8, 2005 Thursday

E TIMOR FOREIGN MINISTER VISITED KISAR ISLAND WITH RI COUNTERPART'S KNOWLEDGE

Ambon, Sept 8

East Timor Foreign Minister Ramos Horta recenly visited Kisar Island in Southwest Maluku with the knowledge of Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, a local administration official said.

"Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda knew about his East Timor counterpart's August 28 visit to Kisar island in Southwest Maluku district, so there is no need for anybody to question it," Southeast Maluku District Chief SJ Oratmangun told ANTARA here on Thursday.

Oratmangun said Horta came to Kisar as a tourist because of close emotional relations as well as cultural similarities between the peoples of Kisar and East Timor.

He said the East Timor minister arrrived at Kisar island on August 28 at 1 pm local time on board his private boat, the Mahatma Gandhi.

Horta was accompanied by 12 officials from the United States, Australian and South Korean embassies in Dili.

The Southwes Maluku district head noted that according to a report from Kisar subdistrict head Dance Taguhiri, Horta and his entourage visited the tourist resorts of Nama beach and Purpura beach in the island in addition to meeting with local officials.

Oratmangun adimitted that Horta's visit to Kisar was reported to Maluku Governor Karel Alber Ralahalu who passed it on to the central government.

Meanwhile, Governor Ralahalu separately admitted to have received the report and had passed it on to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, so the case should no longer be questioned.


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