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)