Vol. 435 No. 6
16 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will write to the Indonesian Government to seek details of the whereabouts of a person (details supplied) who was one of the many East Timorese political activists arrested in autumn 1992 and who has since disappeared.
The Indonesian Government is fully aware of Ireland's deep concern at human rights abuses in East Timor. I myself have already written to the Indonesian Foreign Minister on the matter. My Department avails of every opportunity to convey our concerns to the Indonesian authorities.
The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the person mentioned in the Deputy's question are extremely worrying and the matter has been taken up by Amnesty International.
At a meeting of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonisation on 13 July last, Amnesty raised this person's case and urged the Government of Indonesia to adopt the recommendations made by the UN Commission on Human Rights at its session last March on the question of human rights in East Timor. I fully support Amnesty's efforts in this regard.
