§ 28. Mr. David Huntasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to secure the safety of British subjects in Ethiopia.
§ Mr. RowlandsWe are keeping the situation in Ethiopia as it affects the safety of British subjects under close review. Our embassy in Addis Ababa gives advice to British subjects according to the circumstances at any given time.
§ Mrs. Knightasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth 294W Affairs if he has any further information regarding Mr. Lindsey Tyler, Dr. Stephanie Tyler and their two young children, presently captive in Ethiopia.
§ Mr. RowlandsWe have reliable reports, the latest dating from mid-July, that Mr. Tyler and his family are now in the hands of one of the Eritrean liberation movements and are being taken northwards through the province. We heard in early June that they were being well treated and had ample food. Every effort is being made to discover their exact whereabouts and to secure their release.
§ Mrs. Knightasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens have disappeared in Ethiopia in the past 14 months; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RowlandsTen British subjects have disappeared at various times in Ethiopia in the last 14 months. One was released after nearly six-and-a-half months in the hands of insurgents; seven others are believed still to be in their hands. The fate of two others has still not been established. We are making every possible effort to find those British subjects who are still missing.