Thai, Brunei leaders concerned by RI riots

Thai, Brunei leaders concerned by RI riots

BANGKOK (Agencies): The leaders of Thailand and Brunei have
expressed concern over the upheaval in fellow Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member Indonesia and hope the
unrest ends soon.

But the sultan of Brunei and Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai did
not propose any solutions during a meeting Saturday on how
embattled Indonesian President Soeharto should deal with mounting
riots and protests against his 32-year rule.

Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, in accounts reported
yesterday in Thai newspapers, said the leaders hoped the unrest,
which claimed at least 500 lives, would not escalate and affect
the region.

Indonesia, with a population of 202 million, is by far the
largest member of the nine-member ASEAN. Governments in the
economic bloc almost never adversely comment on each other's
internal affairs.

Other members of the grouping are Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, the
Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Meanwhile in Singapore, state television quoted ministers
expressing dismay Saturday at the grave situation in Indonesia.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tony Tan said the
Singapore government hoped "law and order will be quickly
restored" in its giant southern neighbor.

State television quoted George Yeo, Minister of Information
and the Arts, telling local reporters during a visit to Myanmar
of Singapore's pain at the events in Indonesia.

"It is very sad that a grave situation has developed," Yeo
said. "All those years of efforts by (President) Soeharto in
nation building and in building up the economy have come to this
terrible stage."

"We are a very close neighbor, in many ways their closest
neighbor and we are very pained to see the way things have
developed. We try to be as helpful as we can under the
circumstances and watch and pray at the same time."

But Tan said it was up to Indonesia to decide its own fate.

"There have been many calls for political reform and the
Indonesian government will have to take this into account. But
what is to be done is a matter for the Indonesian government and
the Indonesian people to decide," Tan said.

The comments coincided with a mass exodus from Indonesia of
Singaporeans and other foreigners, who have been fleeing by air
and sea to escape the civil unrest that has torn through
Indonesian cities in recent days.

Pope

In Vatican, Pope John Paul said yesterday he was deeply
worried about Indonesia's violent riots and called for dialog and
"mutual respect" of people and laws in the nation.

"We are watching what is happening in Indonesia with deep
worry. The violence of these last days has caused the death of
many people along with vast destruction, taking the country down
a dangerous path," the pope said during his regular weekly
address.

"At this moment, all our human and Christian solidarity goes
to that noble nation," said the pontiff, who was speaking to
pilgrims in St. Peter's Square.

"We pray that, with dialog and mutual respect for people and
laws, the common good of all the Indonesian people can be
assured," he said.

Meanwhile in Canberra, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister
Alexander Downer said yesterday that despite the troubling
situation in Indonesia, it was not for neighbors such as
Australia to intervene.

"It very much remains to be seen whether he's in control, but
President Soeharto is an old campaigner," Downer said in a TV
interview, adding that Australia should not try to influence the
political situation in Indonesia.

"A foreign country telling a neighbor how to structure their
political processes, is going to get a fairly adverse reaction
and not have a lot of influence. You have to be careful how you
put these things," Downer said.

Downer said it was a "bold person" who predicted that the
worst of the violence in Indonesia was over.

"I think it's better to be cautious and say the situation is
still extremely tense," he said.

Three hundred Australians -- most of them women and children
-- flew into Sydney from Jakarta yesterday aboard the first of
three emergency flights chartered by the Australian government
for evacuations.

Downer said the government was keeping its options open on
future charter flights, and would arrange military flights for
civilians if "dire circumstances" arose.