[asia-apec 189] URGENT/ JOSE RAMOS-HORTA OFFICIALLY DENIED VISA

[sonny at nation.nationgroup.com]

PHILIPPINES REFUSES EAST TIMOR NOBEL LAUREATE VISA
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FOR IMMEDIATE CIRCULATION
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Sydney, Thursday, Oct 24, 1996 -- Reuters

The Philippines on Thursday refused a visa application by East Timorese
Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta, impending a ban on him entering the
country during next month's APEC summit.

The Philippines has imposed the ban, to avoid embarrassment to Indonesian
President Suharto at the November 25 summit of the APEC forum. Ramos-Horta
has been invited to address a parallel conference in Manila.

But the East Timor resistance campaigner delivered his visa application to
the Philippines consulate in Sydney anyway because he said he had not been
officially told of any ban.

"I have been informed they cannot issue the visa. That's the decision,"
Ramos-Horta told Reuters after a brief meeting with the Philippines
consul-general Ariel Abadilla.

"I told the consul-general, who was very friendly, very warm, that no
matter the decision, it does not affect my good feelings and impressions
of the Philippines government."

After Philippines consulate officials refused to take delivery of his
application and his battered Portuguese passport, Ramos-Horta was at his
diplomatic best, saying he hoped President Fidel Ramos would reverse his
decision.

"Governments change their minds all the time on matters that are more
important than that, you know. Granting a visa to a harmless person like
me should not cause such a major problem in the Philippines," Ramos-Horta
said.

"So once President Ramos gets my message that I will not use his soil to
attack Indonesia as such, I presume he will relent on his decision," he
said.

"I have nothing but admiration for the Philippines government ... even if
they bow under pressure from Indonesia. I can only sympathise with them.
It's a great country and I know deep down they don't like what they're
doing."