Thais demand end to RI violence

Thais demand end to RI violence

BANGKOK (Reuters): Several Thai political activists protested
briefly outside the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok yesterday,
demanding an end to violence against antigovernment protesters in
Indonesia.

About a dozen activists from several rights organizations
demonstrated peacefully for about 30 minutes. They charged people
were being arrested, abducted, tortured and killed in Indonesia,
where an economic crisis is worsening.

A joint statement issued by six groups, including the Asian
Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia), demanded
member governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) start a dialog with Indonesia on the issue.

Indonesia and Thailand are both members of ASEAN along with
Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and
Vietnam.