Geneva, 30 March 2000

Dr. Hasballah M. Saad, the Indonesian State Minister for Human Rights Affairs, stressed today that Indonesia would continue to ensure of the effectiveness and credibility of its own national process in dealing with the human rights violations in East Timor. He reiterated the Indonesian Government's strong commitment to bring to justice those responsible for human rights abuses in East Timor. He said that the Attorney General is currently in the process of following up on the findings and recommendations of the Indonesian Commission Investigating Human Rights Violation in East Timor (KPP-HAM). It had been widely known that the report of KPP-HAM identified a number of individuals presumed to be responsible for human rights violations in East Timor in the period beginning January 1999. In addition, a draft law on the establishment of a human rights court is being finalised which shall give the court authority to try cases of past human rights abuses, including those which took place in East Timor.

This statement was made by the Minister during his speech before the 56th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on Thursday morning, 30 March 2000. In his fifteen-minute speech as a dignitary, the Minister also apprised the states members and observers of the Commission, the NGOs participating at the session, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights with the latest developments in the Indonesian process of fundamental reform in the political, economic, social and legal fields, within which great emphasis is being placed on human rights.

The Minister presented the steps that have been taken by the Indonesian government to strengthen institutions, engage in capacity-building and work on the adoption of the necessary legislation in order to provide a structural framework conducive to the promotion and protection of human rights. In enhancing legislative and judicial support, the Government, in cooperation with the House of Representatives, has established a team of legal experts to review all national laws and regulations with a view to ensuring their consistency with the spirit of reform and with international human rights norms. In this context, various political laws have been repealed and the new ones have been and under deliberation to be adopted.

The Minister reaffirmed the willingness of the Indonesian Government to continue to enhance the national capacity for the promotion and protection of human rights while, at the same time, continue to take measures to redress past human rights abuses. In this regard, the Government has adopted a new approach which put the emphasis on dialogue and reconciliation. However, the Minister also stressed that promoting the human rights  and well-being of more than 210 million Indonesians with enormous ethnic, cultural, language and religious diversity, spread over more than 17.000 islands, is a tremendous challenge.

The Minister also touched upon some pertinent issues in Indonesia. On the situation in Aceh, Papua and the Moluccas, the Minister believed that the overall situation had much improved. The new approach, which gives priority to dialogue, has proved to be effective.

In concluding his remarks, the Minister voiced the hope that the Commission would pay closer attention to the principles of international cooperation in protecting and promoting human rights, as stipulated in Article 3 paragraph 1 of the United Nations Charter, and that it would reduce, if not eliminate altogether, the current over-politicisation and double standards which too often marred its work, reduced confidence in the dialogue on human rights and hampered international cooperation.

Siaran Pers dalam Bahasa Indonesia

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