§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the human rights situation in East Timor, following the United States ambassador's visit to Dili in January.
§ Mr. MaudeWe believe that generally the situation has improved following the changes in military command structure last December. We continue to monitor the situation.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the instructions given by the Indonesian Minister for Defence in February to the armed forces about how to handle demonstrators in favour of independence from Indonesia.
§ Mr. MaudeWe are not party to instructions issued by the Indonesian Minister of Defence. We understand that the authorities' intention is that peaceful demonstrations should be allowed to pass off without intervention.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the British Government have made to the Indonesian authorities about the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators for independence in East Timor.
§ Mr. MaudeThe Indonesian authorities are well aware of our views on the need to respect human rights. Two recent demonstrations that we know of passed off peacefully without incident.