NEWS RELEASES
CANADA ANNOUNCES ASSISTANCE TO INDONESIAN LABOUR LEADER
November 23, 1997 No. 196
CANADA ANNOUNCES ASSISTANCE TO
INDONESIAN LABOUR LEADER
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy today announced in Vancouver that,
following discussions held earlier this week with Indonesia's Attorney General,
Canada will send medical personnel and special diagnostic equipment to provide
assistance to jailed Indonesian labour leader Muchtar Pakpahan. This initiative is
being undertaken with the generous contributions of Canadian Airlines
International, which is donating travel and shipment costs, and Xillix
Technologies of Vancouver, which is lending the equipment to the Government of
Canada and will assume the costs of the medical team.
"Mr. Pakpahan's health is of concern to human rights activists both in Indonesia
and abroad," said Mr. Axworthy. "We hope that this humanitarian mission will
provide an accurate diagnosis of Mr. Pakpahan's condition."
Mr. Pakpahan, a renowned labour rights leader, is currently serving a four-year
jail term in Indonesia for inciting labour unrest. He has been undergoing medical
treatment for organ tumours in a Jakarta hospital over the last several months.
Indonesian doctors have recommended that he be diagnosed with a lung imagery
fluorescence endoscopy (LIFE) to investigate the extent of his illness. As this
equipment is not available in Indonesia, the Indonesian government has agreed to
treatment being provided by a foreign country.
Dr. Stephen Lam, a lung specialist affiliated with the British Columbia Cancer
Agency, helped Xillix Technologies to design the LIFE and will perform the tests
with the support of a Canadian respiratory therapist and a Canadian technician.
During a visit to Jakarta in July by Minister Axworthy, Canada and Indonesia
reached an agreement establishing a ministerial-level bilateral consultative
forum. The forum has a mandate to facilitate constructive dialogue and to advance
opportunities for co-operation in bilateral and international areas, including
governance and human rights.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Debora Brown
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
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