§ 3.19 p.m.
§ LORD COLYTONMy Lords, I beg leave to ask a Question of which I have given Her Majesty's Government Private Notice: namely, to ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have received in regard to the arrest of four, or possibly five, British employees of the firm of Gecikat in Elisabethville.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE EARL OF DUNDEE)My Lords, four British subjects were detained for questioning in the course of house searches in Elisabethville the day before yesterday, May 14. Her Majesty's Consul saw them soon after their detention. The four men were released the same afternoon. Her Majesty's Consul saw a member of the group after his return home, and he had no complaints.
§ LORD COLYTONMy Lords, may I ask, first of all, whether there is any information about the fifth man, a man called Mr. Jimmy Hunter, who was arrested at the same time; and secondly, whether the noble Earl is aware that this is just one of a whole series of incidents of violence in which the Army Nationale Congolese have been involved in the past few months in Katanga and which have resulted in the loss of many European and African lives. Thirdly, may I ask whether Her Majesty's Government will give instructions to make a strong protest, not only to the Resident Minister, Mr. Ileo, in Elisabethville, but also to Mr. Adoula's Government in Leopoldville, and indeed to the United Nations' Representative in the Congo.
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, on the first question, the only information we have from our Consul is in respect of the four men whom I have mentioned, whose names were those reported in The Times. We have no information about any others. On the second part of my noble friend's question, of course the situation in Elisabethville, as we all know, is not at all happy, but I should not be inclined to exaggerate unnecessarily what is going wrong, which I think may sometimes happen. On the third question, our Consul did see and make representations to Mr. Ileo and, as I have told your Lordships, the men were released.