§ Mr. DhandaTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Indonesian Ambassador to the Court of St. James's in connection with freedom of religion in Indonesia. [156815]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienI met with the Indonesian Ambassador on 6 October and 10 November 2003 and on both occasions we discussed a wide range of issues, including religion.
The Government are committed to working with Indonesia to encourage religious tolerance. Together with the Department for International Development, we have committed over £4 million to help establish the United Nations Development Programme Conflict Prevention and Recovery Unit in Jakarta. The Unit will build up capacity in conflict reduction and recovery in the provinces affected by religious conflict. This includes funding projects like the Maluku Reconciliation Conference, which was held in London and Brussels in January 2004 and brought together Muslim and Christians leaders from Maluku to discuss how to establish peace in the province.
§ Mr. DhandaTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the extent of freedom of religion in Indonesia. [156816]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe many ethnic and religious communities of the Indonesian archipelago have a long history of generally peaceful co-existence. The majority684W of Indonesians are Muslim and most are moderate and tolerant of other religions. Religious freedom in Indonesia is enshrined in the constitution.