NZ won't sign Suharto condolence book By staff writers | January 29, 2008
NEW Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has refused to sign a condolence book for former Indonesian president Suharto over his "appalling" human rights record. "I haven't signed a book - I have no plans to sign a book," Miss Clark said at a news conference when asked if she would sign a condolence book at Indonesia's embassy in Wellington. "And I think his legacy will be considered to be in three areas: One, his human rights record which was appalling. "Secondly, in the course of his tenure as president Indonesia did grow and develop fast, and thirdly during that time ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) developed to be a significant regional organisation which brought peace between countries in South-East Asia. "So the legacy is mixed, but from the point of view of human rights it's very clear," Miss Clark said. New Zealand's ambassador to Jakarta Philip Gibson represented the country at Suharto's funeral yesterday. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23127319-12335,00.html mediacare http://www.mediacare.biz [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
