Written question asked by Ann Clwyd (Labour) on Tuesday, 12 February 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 27 February 2002. It was answered by Ben Bradshaw (Labour) on Wednesday, 27 February 2002 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likely impact on human rights of the decision of the Government of Indonesia to establish a new military command in Aceh.

Answer: Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely impact on human rights of the decision of the Government of Indonesia to establish a new military command in Aceh. [36925] Mr. Bradshaw: The Indonesian Government believe the re-establishment of the Aceh military command will lead to improved accountability for the security forces and security in the province through improved communication. Any moves to increase accountability and reduce lawlessness in the province should be welcomed. We continue to impress on the Indonesian authorities the importance of upholding and promoting human rights throughout the country. On 18 February the British Ambassador in Jakarta raised our concerns about reports that the Indonesian Government intended to `crush' the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) by military force with Co-ordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, Bambang Yudhoyono.

Secondary information