UN human rights chief to visit E. Timor

UN human rights chief to visit E. Timor

JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNCHR), Jose Ayala Lasso, arrives here Dec. 4 for a five- day visit which will include meetings with senior government officials and a tour to the troubled province of East Timor.

A foreign ministry statement said Ambassador Lasso would hold discussions with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ali Alatas, other Indonesian ministers and high-ranking officials and pertinent non-governmental organizations "on matters relating to the promotion and protection of human rights."

Lasso, who has been critical of the Indonesian government in past reports on East Timor, was invited to Indonesia by the government to personally observe efforts to promote and protect human rights in that region.

His visit comes three months prior to the UNCHR annual session in Geneva.

A Portuguese colony until 1975, East Timor integrated into Indonesia the following year. The United Nations, however, does not recognize Indonesia's rule over the territory.

Under the guidance of the UN Secretary General, Jakarta and Lisbon are involved in on-going discussions to find an internationally acceptable solution to the East Timor problem.

In the past month Jakarta has witnessed a wave of Timorese scaling foreign embassies' walls in a bid to gain political asylum. Nearly three dozen asylum seekers are now in Lisbon.

The foreign ministry said Indonesian officials would also talk with Lasso about the follow-up of the Declaration and Program of Action which was adopted during 1993's World Conference on Human Rights.

"In relation to the Declaration, Indonesia is a forerunner in formulating a national plan of action on human rights," the foreign ministry said.

Lasso's trip here is part of a wider regional tour which includes Cambodia and Bangladesh.(mds)