---------------------------------------------------------- FREE Subscribe/UNsubscribe Indonesia Daily News Online go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Free Email @KotakPos.com visit: http://my.kotakpos.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------- The AGE, Friday 10 December 1999 Sex Row Erupts Over Teen Timor Refugees By DAVID REARDON PERTH Friday 10 December 1999 Police are investigating a convicted paedophile who gained access to Perth's Leeuwin Barracks and allegedly gave drugs to three male Timorese refugees for sex. Fremantle detectives confirmed yesterday they had interviewed a known offender who visited two 17-year-old boys and an 18-year- old man at the barracks in recent weeks. The Defence Force denied the incident had exposed flaws in its security, saying the offences had occurred outside the barracks. The man is believed to have befriended the boys while they were wandering around Fremantle and later visited them at the barracks. Local Timorese leaders and United Nations representatives were outraged, accusing the Australian Government of neglecting its duty of care to vulnerable refugees. A Perth Timorese leader, Mr Domingos De Oliveira, said he was horrified by the incident and said the Immigration Department had tried to keep the matter quiet. "We are disgusted and very angry that these crimes were committed against these East Timorese boys who come here already traumatised," Mr De Oliveira said. "I blame the authorities who let him in and now they are trying to cover it up. The police say they were not forced to have sex but they are just kids. They didn't know what to do and if they were given drugs their reactions would have been different," he said. Detective Senior Sergeant Charlie Perejmibida said there was no evidence that the accused man had pressured the three to have sex but police were treating the incident seriously because of their vulnerability. The age of consent between males in Western Australia is 18. Senior Sergeant Perejmibida said two of the teenagers had flown back to East Timor last week. The third was still at Leeuwin, awaiting a charter flight that will take most of the 146 refugees at the barracks to a Sydney facility this week. He said the teenagers had been reluctant to cooperate with police. "We are facing cultural differences because it is not the sort of thing these people like talking about," Senior Sergeant Perejmibida. He said police knew the man, who is facing separate charges for possession of drugs, had been in the area. The investigation started after refugees complained that two of the boys were dropped outside the barracks by the man late at night. "We had already had some information about some unusual behavior by some people who were not supposed to be near the area," he said. A Defence Force spokesman, Mr Pat Green, said all staff and volunteer workers had undergone police and ASIO checks before they were allowed into the compound. But visitors were not checked if they were invited in by one of the refugees. All minors had to be accompanied by a person over the age of 18 if they wanted to leave the compound. Mr Hans Jaensch from the United Nations Association (WA) said the Australian Government had failed to provide adequate care and supervision for young refugees. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 16 Dec 1999 jam 09:39:27 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
