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.