Nelson da Cruz, Dili – Timor's parliament voted Monday to reject an Australian proposal for the impoverished country to become a regional refugee processing centre for Australian-bound asylum seekers.
All 34 lawmakers present for the vote, or a majority of just one in the 66-seat House, agreed to "firmly reject any plan to set up a refugee detention centre in East Timor", according to a statement.
"We urge the government to reject any proposal which conveys an intention to build a refugee processing centre in our national territory," the declaration said.
"We hope that the government handles this matter as a political issue and takes a firm stance in dealing with our international colleagues, including with the Australian government."
New Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has flagged a plan for East Timor to host a new regional processing facility for migrants who arrive off northern Australia in rickety people-smuggling boats.
She has spoken to East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta but the Dili government says it has yet to see a detailed proposal.
Gillard, who ousted Kevin Rudd in a Labor party leadership challenge last month, told reporters in Australia earlier Monday that Canberra was having a "dialogue" with East Timor about the issue.
"But I also want to be realistic with the Australian people. This will take some time," she said.
"There is no quick fix here but we are in dialogue with East Timor and we are also briefing our regional neighbours about this regional approach. I'm determined to get it done. I announced it last Tuesday and I have been determined each day since to get it done," she added.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Sunday that Australia would hold talks with East Timor and Indonesia this week, rejecting criticism that Gillard did not properly consult before announcing the policy.
Dozens of boats carrying asylum seekers from Asian trouble spots like Sri Lanka and Afgahnistan arrive in northern Australian waters every year, mostly with the help of Indonesian-based people smugglers.
Gillard says a regional solution like a processing centre in East Timor would undermine the smuggling networks while easing pressure on Australia's overloaded detention facilities.
Ramos-Horta and East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao have said they are open to the Australian idea and await detailed proposals.
But senior officials from Gusmao's National Congress for the Reconstruction of East Timor (CNRT), the opposition Fretilin party and local human rights groups have expressed strong objections.
"As an independent country, we must not accept the Australian government's proposal because we don't have the capabilities," CNRT lawmaker Paulo Martins told AFP. "The Australian government actually has the capability to set up a detention centre in their country."
East Timor, a mainly Catholic country of just over a million people, is still dependent on foreign aid more than 10 years after its bloody vote to split from Indonesia.
Australia is a major donor of aid and has about 400 troops in East Timor as the leader of an international force providing security for the fledgling country.