E. Timorese demonstrate at British embassy

JAKARTA (JP): About 50 East Timorese students staged a peaceful rally in front of the British Embassy on Jl. MH. Thamrin yesterday, demanding officials attending the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in London include human rights issues in East Timor on their agenda.

Mariano Sabino Lopez, spokesman for the East Timor Student Association, appealed to the officials to help stop what they see as rampant violations of human rights in the former Portuguese colony.

The association, which is made up of East Timorese students studying in various Javanese cities, also urged officials attending the meetig to put pressure on Indonesia to withdraw troops from the territory which become part of the country in 1976.

Mariano said a solution to the East Timorese problem would boost relations between countries participating in the ASEM.

"Cooperation between the members of ASEM should not focus solely on economic issues because a country's economy cannot be separated from national, regional and international political affairs", Mariano said in his statement.

Riot police from the Menteng subprecinct and troops from the district military command quickly sealed the area to prevent possible unrest after the demonstrators arrived at about 11 a.m.

Leaders and senior officials from European and Asian countries are meeting from April 1 through today at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Center in Westminster, London.

The focus of the meeting is on economic issues, including the Asian crisis. Human rights is not on the agenda.

Indonesia is represented at the meeting by Vice President B.J. Habibie.

Some of the protesters were seen trying to clamber onto the embassy's fences to display posters outlining their demands.

They dispersed peacefully just before 2 p.m. after an embassy official briefly met them and received a petition to be submitted to the ambassador. (09)