§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What information they have received from (a) the Indonesian authorities and (b) non-governmental organisations, about the number of civilians missing and killed in Aceh since the introduction of martial law on 19 May; and what additional steps they will now take, in conjunction with the United Kingdom's partners in the European Union and the United Nations Security Council, for the restoration of the cessation of hostilities and a resumption of negotiations for a political solution of the problem of the territory's constitutional status. [HL3875]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe Indonesian authorities reported on 8 July that 325 members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) had been killed by the Indonesian armed forces since the introduction of martial law in May. However, we are aware of reports from the media and NGO's about attacks on villages by the army that have resulted in civilian deaths. Kontras, an independent Indonesian NGO has provided unconfirmed statistics that 176 civilians were killed and 15 went missing between the introduction of martial law on 19 May and 18 June. KOMNASHAM, the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission, is investigating allegations of civilian deaths. Our embassy in Jakarta is monitoring the situation, but restrictions on travel to Aceh make it impossible to verify casualty figures.
On 20 May, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary issued a joint statement with the Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, calling on the Indonesian armed forces to ensure full respect for human rights and to show maximum restraint while they carry out operations in Aceh. This was reinforced 188WA by my honourable friend the Minister of State at the FCO (Mike O'Brien) during his visit to Indonesia from 3 to 4 June, when he discussed Aceh with President Megawati and other senior members of the Indonesian Government. He raised the issue of civilian deaths and stressed that the Indonesian armed forces must respect human rights and act in accordance with international law in Aceh. He also urged the Indonesian Government to resume negotiations as soon as possible, stressing that military action alone would not resolve the problems in Aceh; only political negotiation could offer a long-term solution. We will continue to raise this with the Indonesian Government, both bilaterally and with others including our EU partners, Japan, the US and the World Bank.