Opposition on Timor meeting defied

Opposition on Timor meeting defied

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysian human rights groups said
yesterday they were going ahead with a planned conference on East
Timor, defying government pressure to cancel the meeting.

A representative of organizers, Sanusi Osman, said at a news
conference that the conference was legal and "is a concrete and
legitimate step forward in the pursuit of peace".

The three-day conference in Kuala Lumpur will begin on Nov. 9
and may condemn Indonesia on the East Timor issue.

Deputy Home Minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob said on Monday the
government opposed the conference for fear of harming its ties
with Indonesia.

But the government has not threatened to ban the conference.

"The conference is a private initiative and does not represent
or reflect government policy," Sanusi said. "Therefore, we trust
it will not jeopardize the special relationship between Malaysia
and Indonesia."

Sanusi also said Jose Ramos-Horta, the East Timorese
separatist leader who last month was named co-winner of the Nobel
Peace Prize, would not attend the meeting to avoid straining ties
between Malaysia and Indonesia.

A statement which the organizers said was written by Ramos-
Horta, said: "In order to avoid putting Malaysia in a difficult
position with the Indonesian government, I will abstain myself
from the conference if necessary."

The organizers added it was uncertain whether East Timor's
Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo -- the other
winner of the Nobel prize -- would attend the Malaysian meeting.

East Timor was integrated into Indonesia in 1976, but the
United Nations still recognizes Lisbon as the administering
authority for the territory.

Asked what the groups planned to do if the Malaysian
government banned the meeting, Sanusi said: "Let's see how they
react to our appeal."

A similar conference was held in Manila in 1994, despite
protests by the Indonesian government.

Officials at the Malaysian foreign affairs and home ministries
were unavailable for comment yesterday.

Like other Southeast Asian governments, Malaysia avoids
criticizing its neighbors, saying it amounts to interference in
another country's internal affairs.