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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking regarding the treatment of Christians in the Moluccas region of Indonesia; and if he will make a statement. [12154] Mr. Bradshaw: The United Nations has made several assessment visits to Maluku since 1999. They have found concrete evidence of only a small number of forced conversions, including the most highly reported cases in Kasiui and Tior. Many of the Christians evacuated from the province in January are now reported to be voluntarily returning to their homes. Also, many Moslems and Christians who fled their villages to escape the violence are returning, and Moslem leaders in some villages have asked for help in encouraging Christians to return. In Ambon, the two communities remain segregated and there has been very little violence there in recent weeks. The Department for International Development (DFID) has pledged more than £4 million to help establish the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Conflict Prevention and Recovery Unit in Jakarta. The unit will build capacity in conflict reduction and recovery in the provinces torn apart by ethnic conflict, particularly in North Maluku. These new initiatives will complement DFID-supported humanitarian relief programmes by addressing the causes underlying conflict--abuse of power, alienation and loss of access to and control of resources essential for every day life. We will continue to work with the Indonesian authorities and UNDP to promote reconciliation, begin wider reconstruction work and to offer practical assistance where appropriate. The UK's message to the Indonesian Government has been consistently clear: a long-term solution to regional conflicts can only be achieved through political negotiation and consultation with the people. I raised these issues with Hamzah Haz, the Indonesian Vice President when we met in Jakarta on 27 August.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

12154; 375 c24W

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Armed conflict Human rights Religious freedom Maluku Islands Indonesia Christianity

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk