Indonesia (Hansard, 4 May 2004)

§ Sir Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent violence in Aceh. [169154]

§ Mr. Straw
The British Government regularly raise their concerns about the situation in Aceh with the Indonesian Government, most recently on 20 April 2004 when the British ambassador to Jakarta called on the Indonesian Head of the armed forces, General Sutarto. My hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Mike O'Brien) also raised Aceh with the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Dr. Wirayuda, when he met him at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kildare on 18 April.
There continue to be reports of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Free Aceh Movement (the GAM) and the Indonesian armed forces. We are monitoring the situation closely. The Indonesian military has said that it will continue to court-martial soldiers arrested on suspicion of human rights abuses.
We, with our EU partners, continue to urge the Indonesian Government to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, as only negotiation will offer a long-term solution to this ongoing conflict.

§ Sir Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on end use monitoring of UK arms exports used in Aceh by Indonesian forces. [169155]
1438W

§ Mr. Straw
Our embassy in Jakarta receives information from a wide a range of sources including international agencies, NGOs, other observers, the media and the Indonesian Government as part of their efforts to monitor the use of British-built military equipment. We have had no confirmed reports that British-built military equipment has been used other than for protection and evacuation purposes. We will follow up all credible allegations on the misuse of British-military equipment.
On 18 April 2004 at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kildare, my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Mike O'Brien) raised with the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Dr Wirayuda, the use of British-built military equipment in Aceh.
On 20 April 2004 the British ambassador to Jakarta met the Indonesian Head of the armed forces, General Sutarto. General Sutarto told our ambassador that he had ordered the withdrawal of all remaining British equipment from Aceh. The only British-built equipment in Aceh are armoured vehicles and they have only been used for supply convoy protection and casualty evacuation.