ASIA TRADE . . . CLINTON TALKS HUMAN RIGHTS

President Clinton, who weatheredbarbs at home for ignoring human rightsas he cemented this week's Asian-Pacific trade deal, wrapped up his trip to Indonesia with a small about-face. His target wasn't China, but the host country, where 29 East Timorese students continued a sit-in on the grounds of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta to protest Indonesian occupation of their nearby homeland. "We cannot turn away from that cause and we will not," Clinton declared, after Indonesian President Suharto agreed not to harass the students after the U.S. contingent left. (Suharto, not known for his bleeding heart, merely promised to deal with the issue "squarely.") Secretary of State Warren Christopher also met with human rights officials there to express U.S. displeasure with the government's handling of the East Timorese.Post your opinion on theInternationalbulletin board.