UNHCR CONFIDENT CUBAN CITIZEN TREATED FAIRLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 003347 SIPDIS SIPDIS SECSTATE FOR EAP/IET, PRM AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2016 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREF KJUS CU ID SUBJECT: UNHCR CONFIDENT CUBAN CITIZEN TREATED FAIRLY REF: JAKARTA 02314 Classified By: LISSA MCATEE, REASON 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) UNHCR/Jakarta told us on March 13 that it remains confident that Ramon Ballesteros Escobar, a Cuban doctor who fled from his assignment in East Timor, will be treated fairly (reftel). Shinji Kubo, head of Protective Services at UNCHR in Jakarta said that no one, including the Indonesian government, has pressured UNCHR regarding Escobar. Indra, director of Enforcement at the Indonesian Immigration Department, assured UNHCR that the GOI would not act without the high commission's recommendation. Kubo explained that the Indonesian government does not want to politicize the case and is therefore "putting it on us (UNHCR)" to handle the matter. ¶2. (SBU) Escobar remains in immigration detention in Kupang, West Timor. UNHCR is reviewing his case, and verifying information with UNHCR in Washington D.C. and Geneva before they issue a recommendation. In the meantime, UNHCR is trying to keep the case quiet because they say there are approximately one hundred Cuban doctors in East Timor that may look to UNHCR's decision in the Escobar case as a signal to follow suit. We will continue to follow developments. PASCOE