[asia-apec 190] Message for Sonny (The Nation) from FOCUS

[focus]

At 02:42 PM 24/10/1996 -0500, you wrote:
>PHILIPPINES REFUSES EAST TIMOR NOBEL LAUREATE VISA
>--------------------------------------------------
>
>FOR IMMEDIATE CIRCULATION
>-------------------------
>
>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."
>
>24 October 1996

Dear Sonny,

Just sent an e-mail few minutes ago in your nation e-mail account mentioning
that we will be forwarding APEC/Horta press releases to Walden but I just
realized after reading the stuff that Walden is also one of the recipients.
Sorry for the error.

Many thanks,


Joy Obando
FOCUS
>