§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Indonesia about the allegations of attacks made on Christians in that country; and if he will make a statement. [151499]
§ Mr. BattleWe are deeply concerned by reports of attempts to force Christians to covert to Islam in Maluku and our Embassy has raised this with senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta.
Both the Secretary of State for International Development and I visited Indonesia in October 2000 and discussed the situation in Maluku with President Wahid and senior Ministers. We urged tolerance and restraint and made clear to them the Indonesian Government's responsibility to maintain law and order and to take immediate steps to bring the perpetrators of the violence to justice. I also discussed events with Alwi Shihab, the Indonesian Foreign Minister, in the margins of the EU-ASEAN meeting in Vientianne on 12 December.