Human rights protest mars Indonesia’s state visit to London
A demonstration by Survival International and dozens of human rights protesters has marred the start of Indonesia’s first state visit to London in 33 years. Protesters held banners and chanted slogans outside the London residence of Britain’s Prime Minister, in a peaceful rally against Indonesia’s poor human rights record, its brutal repression of tribal people in West Papua, and UK links to a counter-terrorism unit implicated in the murder of independence leaders. The rally outside Downing Street attracted campaigners and supporters from Survival, Tapol, Down to Earth, Amnesty International and Free West Papua.
Among London-listed mining companies active in Indonesia and West Papua are BHP Billiton, Bumi, Churchill and Rio Tinto.
See http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/8777.
Indonesia scored over human rights in state visit
Dozens of protesters denounced alleged torture in Indonesia and accused Britain of putting commercial interests ahead of human rights on Wednesday on the first day of a state visit by the Indonesian president.
See http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/31/uk-britain-indonesia-idUKBRE89U1HF20121031.
Queen welcomes Indonesia’s Yudhoyono to Britain
Prominent rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was arrested trying to reach the president’s car as he visited Westminster Abbey, the vast gothic church where the queen’s grandson Prince William wed Kate Middleton last year. He accuses Yudhoyono of war crimes in West Papua and East Timor. “I had wanted to attempt a citizen’s arrest of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said after his release. “When this was not possible, I settled for displaying the West Papuan flag.”
See http://www.freewestpapua.org/index.php/news/2046-queen-welcomes-indonesias-yudhoyono-to-britain.