RI, Canadian rights bodies link up

RI, Canadian rights bodies link up

JAKARTA (JP): Leaders of human rights commissions from
Indonesia and Canada met yesterday to discuss possible
cooperation in their work.

Ali Said, the chairman of Indonesia's National Commission on
Human Rights, and Maxwell Yalden, Chief Commissioner of the
Canadian Human Rights Commission agreed to share their experience
in enforcing human rights.

Marzuki Darusman, deputy chairman of the Indonesian
commission, explained that the meeting reviewed a number of areas
where cooperation seemed possible, such as in the exchange of
personnel, making comparative studies, providing training and
workshops, publications and information, and developing human
rights centers at universities.

"After reviewing those matters, I hope we will get a
memorandum of understanding on cooperative activities," he said.

The Canadian commission is particularly experienced in
handling problems of discrimination, while Indonesia does not
find discrimination, be it ethnic or religious discrimination, a
particular problem in this country, Marzuki said.

He said the Indonesian commission has been quite active in
promoting human rights since it began its work a year ago. "We do
not only supervise human rights issues, but also mediating,
conciliating, and resolving the problem."

Marzuki said the Indonesian commission is limiting its work to
cases within its national boundary. "The commission has no right
to poke its nose into human rights situation in another country."

Canada has been at the forefront of the human rights campaign
and at one time even suspended financial assistance to Indonesia,
alleging violations of human rights in East Timor.

But Yalden told The Jakarta Post that he did not raise
specific human rights issues during his meeting with Ali Said. "I
won't comment on the human rights situation and I don't have any
recommendation on what to do," he said. (29)