01-07-2003
13:07:00. Notícia nº SIR-5189992 Temas: new destaque2
East Timor: PM slams branding of immigration bill as 'unconstitutional'
Dili, July
1 (Lusa) - East Timor`s prime minister, Mari Alkatiri,
criticized Tuesday the earlier pronouncement by Dili's Court of Appeal
that a draft immigration and asylum bill is unconstitutional.
The Appeal
Court ruled Monday that parts of the draft bill which limit
political rights for foreign citizens in Timor are "unconstitutional".
Alkatiri
said the court's decision was "unprofessional" and not within
"the spirit of the law". He added the court had been subjected
to
"outside pressures".
Dili`s head
of government pledged that "not a comma will be changed in
the bill" and said the legislation would receive more than the necessary
two-thirds parliamentary majority.
Alkatiri's
ruling Fretilin party holds 55 of the 88 seats in the Dili
Assembly and the bill`s approval appears to be a fait accompli.
However,
most oppositionists Lusa spoke to welcomed the Appeal Court`s
decision as "justification" for ongoing harsh criticism of the
bill in
parliament.
Timor`s
most prominent legal watchdog, Judicial System Monitoring
Program, said it applauded the court's report on the draft legislation,
which in addition to being unconstitutional, "violates several
international conventions signed by Timor".