§ 1. Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet. [9231]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Dr. Liam Fox)We enjoy excellent relations with the kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan.
Successive British Governments have regarded Tibet as autonomous, while recognising the special position of the Chinese there. That remains our view.
§ Mr. WintertonDoes my hon. Friend agree that the plight of the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal merits much greater international attention? Is he satisfied that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is sufficiently proactive in seeking a proper settlement by involving an independent panel to verify the nationality status of those seeking to return to Bhutan? Does he agree that we should drop the easy, quick solution of appeasement and that we should not forget the real plight of the refugees?
§ Dr. FoxWe believe that the UNHCR is doing an excellent job. It runs camps for about 90,000 refugees in Bhutan in liaison with Save the Children and other non-governmental organisations. The Government have contributed about £475,000 to those camps in the past three years to support the refugees. We take the plight of the refugees very seriously. I raised the issue specifically with Prime Minister Deuba when I visited Nepal last year and again when he visited London this year. We raise the issue at every opportunity, but ultimately it is a matter for the Bhutan and Nepalese Governments.