Montreal – While trade ministers arrived in Montreal to talk about APEC, Warren Allmand, Bob White and other Canadian labour leaders, and Amnesty International also arrived to deliver a very different message.

They carried thousands of postcards demanding the release of Indonesian labour leader Muchtar Pakpahan to the Sheraton Hotel where APEC ministerial meetings started today.

The postcards were carried by Warren Allmand of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development; Roger Clark of Amnesty International Canada; Clement Godbout of the Federation des travailleurs/euses du Quebec; Pierre Paquette of the Confederation des syndicats nationaux; Darrell Tingley of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers; Bob White, of the Canadian Labour Congress; and Hassan Yussuff and Luc Desnoyers of the Canadian Auto Workers.

They wanted to give the postcards directly to Indonesian Trade Minister Tunky Ariwibowo, who is in Montreal for the APEC meetings, but the Minister, his aides, and Indonesian Ambassador Parwoto all said they did not have time to meet and discuss human rights. Organizers said they will bring the cards to the Ottawa Embassy next week.

"We're not surprised that the Indonesian government wouldn't meet with labour leaders and human rights activists", said Bob White. "This is a dictatorship after all. If I were in Indonesia, I'd likely be in prison with Pakpahan." Roger Clark of the Canadian Section of Amnesty International says "the treatment of Pakpahan is an affront to everyone supporting international standards for human rights."

Together they called on Canadian Trade Minister Art Eggleton to use the APEC meetings as an opportunity to publicly pressure the Indonesian government to release Pakpahan, and other Indonesian pro-democracy activists recently tried for subversion. Last week, twelve Indonesian trade unionists and activists aged from 20 to 30 years were sentenced to up to 13 years in prison just for criticizing the Indonesian government. "The Indonesian government is using Pakpahan as an example, to warn Indonesians about the consequence of exercising their human rights" said Warren Allmand. "But he is really an example of how freedom of association is violated around the world, and a forum like APEC should not discuss international trade and ignore these issues."