Jakarta – The UN's special agent responsible for investigations into human rights abuses, Manfred Nowak, is set to commence his two week information gathering exercise across the archipelago – but said Monday he first wanted some local pointers.

Nowak called a meeting with the country's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas Ham) on Monday to ask for input on his forthcoming inquest into "torturous, cruel, inhuman and degrading human acts" still potentially occurring in Indonesia.

Komnas chairman for internal affairs Ridha Saleh said, "We recommend that he goes to the Jakarta Provincial Police, the Attorney General's Office (AGO), prisons in East Java and several conflict areas like Papua, Poso and Aceh".

"At the meeting, we didn't recommend that he go to Nusa Kambangan maximum security prisons or the juvenile detention center in Tangerang, as we assumed that he already knew about those places."

Ridha said abuse occurred not only in prisons, but also during forcible evictions. "Komnas has received at least 20 cases of torture or abuse, including the recent eviction of squatters from under the elevated turnpike," Ridha said.

Squatters have reported being beaten by Jakarta's public order officers during said evictions.

Ridha said Nowak's visit was by invitation from the Indonesian government and should be a warning for the country to improve its implementation of human rights.

Ridha said Indonesia could benefit from Nowak's visit if all parties distributed human rights information and listened to his suggestions. "Officials from the foreign affairs ministry will accompany Nowak during his visit to all regions," he said. "None of us will accompany him."

Nowak said he would present his report to the UN Human Rights Council in Switzerland on his return.

The UN appointed Nowak its Special Rapporteur on Torture on December 1, 2004. His task is to cover all countries, whether or not they have ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Nowak is a professor of constitutional law and human rights at the University of Vienna and director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights.

Laksmita Noviera, a communication officer at the UN's office in Jakarta, said Nowak's schedule was arranged by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

A staffer at the ministry's human rights section said Nowak would visit various state institutions and ministries on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, the UN envoy would embark on a visit to conflict areas across the archipelago including Aceh, Poso and Papua. Nowak had arranged his own travel itinerary for his trip throughout the archipelago, the staffer said.

Nowak is the third UN rights representative to visit Indonesia this year UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour made a five-day visit in July, and Hina Jilani, the UN secretary-general's special representative on human rights defenders, traveled to Indonesia in June.