INDEPENDENT NEWS

NZ attendance at funeral of dictator questioned

Published: Wed 30 Jan 2008 12:17 AM
30th January 2008
Locke questions NZ attendance at funeral of military dictator
Green Party Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Keith Locke has questioned why, when the Prime Minister decided not to sign a condolence book, New Zealand was officially represented at former Indonesian President Suharto's funeral.
"The former President was one of the biggest mass murderers of our time," said Mr Locke.
"At least 500,000 people were slaughtered when Suharto seized power in 1965. He was later responsible for the deaths of 200,000 people in East Timor and over 100,000 people in West Papua, Aceh and elsewhere in Indonesia.
"It was insulting to the memory of these victims that our Ambassador in Indonesia, Phillip Gibson, chose to attend Suharto's funeral.
"By contrast, many ordinary Indonesians will support the Prime Minister's refusal to sign the condolence book, as do I.
"President Suharto was also one of the world's leading kleptocrats. He stole billions of dollars from the Indonesian people. When he died the Government was trying to get a court order for the return of $US1.6 billion in stolen assets.
"One local NGO, Indonesian Corruption Watch, criticized President Yudhoyono for abandoning a Bali conference on international corruption to attend Suharto's funeral."
Ambassador Gibson's attendance at the funeral is reported at news.com.au: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23127319-23109,00.htm
ENDS

Next in New Zealand politics

Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
By: New Zealand Government
GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan
By: New Zealand Government
New Zealand Provides Further Humanitarian Support To Gaza And The West Bank
By: New Zealand Government
High Court Judge Appointed
By: New Zealand Government
Parliamentary Network Breached By The PRC
By: New Zealand Government
Tax Cuts Now Even More Irresponsible
By: New Zealand Labour Party
View as: DESKTOP | MOBILE © Scoop Media