§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to whether the former king and the former crown prince of Laos are still alive or held in captivity; what representations he has received regarding their fate; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarWe have no independent or reliable knowledge as to the fate of the former King and the former Crown Prince of Laos. There have been persistent but unconfirmed reports of their deaths. The Lao Government claim that they are alive and "in retirement".
§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding the continued occupation of Laos by Vietnamese troops; whether he will raise the matter with the Soviet and the Vietnamese governments; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarWe received one letter from a member of the public in 1988 on this issue. According to the Vietnamese Foreign Minister, all Vietnamese troops were to be withdrawn from Laos by the end of 1988. We have no independent means of verifying this claim.
§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding allegations that Soviet military officers removed certain national treasures from Laos to the Soviet Union in 1975; and what response he is able to make.
§ Mr. EggarWe received one letter from a member of the public in 1988 alleging that a statue was removed from the palace in Luang Prabang by Soviet military officers. According to a Lao official the statue is still on display in the palace museum.