§ Mr. Wareingasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied that the fund established with the United Kingdom's financial assistance to assist Thailand combat piracy, has been successful; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindI presume that the fund referred to is that set up under the auspices of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees to support anti-piracy operations by the Thai Navy to which Britain has contributed a total of £185,000 to date. There have been recent disturbing, though unconfirmed, reports of incidents involving the death of a number of boat people in the Gulf of Thailand. Nevertheless we are satisfied that, since the inauguration of this programme in June 1982, the overall incidence of attacks in the Gulf of Thailand has declined.
These attacks continue to be a serious problem and we remain concerned about their frequency. We believe that progress can best be made by continuing to work with other donors, the UNHCR and the Government of Thailand to seek ways to improve the effectiveness of the anti-piracy programme.