Government will abide by international law when it frames legislation giving new rights to long term residents, said acting Home Affairs Minister Randy Horton.

He made the statement after the Coalition on Long Term Residents had attacked the way meetings on the subject were handled last year.

The group's spokesman Robert Pires said meetings on the Government's discussion paper had been stacked in favour of Progressive Labour Party supporters and audience members had suffered intimidation.

Concrete proposals to increase rights for long term residents (LTRs) are expected to be put before the House of Assembly this summer.

Mr. Horton said: "The only thing I can say is that Mr. Pires has a right to his point of view.

"We are now in the process of developing the Government white paper.

"I am certain it will take into consideration all international conventions."

And the National Liberal Party's candidate for the Smith's South by-election Graeme Outerbridge said Mr. Pires had exaggerated problems encountered by LTRs at meetings last summer.

He said: "When I was one of the speakers at a meeting in Somerset no one heckled me and no one was derogatory, and what I was saying was controversial.

"I said the long term residents should be given Bermudian status and the way forward was the way they do it in other countries.

"After seven years of residency, applications would be entered and the proportion given would be based on the number going outward from Bermuda. That way there would be no backlog.

"The Minister (Paula Cox) thanked me for my comments and at no time did I feel that my point of view was being abused.

"I can only speak for the one event I attended, but I didn't feel, as a speaker, that what I had to say was met with hostility or racial derision."

Yesterday Mr. Pires called on the Government to make public the names of the people on the Long Term Residents Committee which The Royal Gazette understands has been set up to advise the Minister.

He said he respected Ernst and Young partner Anthony Joaquin who is heading the committee but he was concerned the rest of the body would be stacked.

He said: "The committee will advise the Minister. I guess that is some progress and perhaps an acknowledgement that the way the public forums were run was not terribly constructive."

Mr. Pires said he had been told there was one Portuguese member on the committee but he was concerned those supporting the interests of long term residents would once again be marginalised.

He said: "There's a history of ignorance about the Portuguese. It's a reoccurring theme. I am worried this will be the same old, same old.

"What's scary is a lot of people's lives are in the balance so the process needs to be open."

When questioned about the make up of the committee recently, Ms Cox referred The Royal Gazette to Mr. Joaquin, who was off the Island.