HC Deb 25 January 1999 vol 324 cc143-4W
Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the British Consul General in Aden first learnt of the detention of the five British citizens being detained in Aden. [66685]

Mr. Fatchett

Yemeni officials first mentioned on 29 December that they had arrested some, unnamed, British nationals. The Yemeni authorities confirmed the names and details of the five British nationals on 7 January.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of British visitors to Yemen in each of the last three years. [66945]

Mr. Fatchett

There are no reliable estimates available for the number of British visitors to Yemen.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase the number of diplomatic personnel at the British mission in Yemen. [66942]

Mr. Fatchett

None at present.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department first learnt that the five detainees in Yemen had been charged. [66940]

Mr. Fatchett

In the afternoon of 15 January the British Consul General in Aden reported that four of the men had been charged and the fifth was due to be charged later that night. Our Consul General confirmed on 16 January that the fifth man had been charged late on 15 January.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the British Consul General in Aden met each of the five detainees in Yemen. [66939]

Mr. Fatchett

The British Consul General in Aden visited Shahid Butt, Ghulam Hussein and Sarmad Ahmed on 8 January and Mohssen Ghailan on 9 January. He visited Malik Nasser Harhara, who is a British/Yemeni dual national on 14 January. He is pressing for recurring consular access.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals he estimates live in Yemen. [66944]

Mr. Fatchett

According to our latest Annual Consular Return dated 1997, there were approximately 350 British Nationals resident in Yemen. The current figure is believed to be in the region of 400.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to gain access to a doctor for the five detainees in Aden. [66941]

Mr. Fatchett

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary telephoned Prime Minister Iriyani on 14 January to register our concern about complaints of ill-treatment and torture, and asked for access to the detainees by an independent doctor. Mr. Iriyani undertook to work for a positive response. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State asked for access when she met the Yemeni Ambassador on 13 January. Our Embassy continues to raise the matter daily with the Yemeni authorities.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when and how he first learnt of the kidnap of two Britons in Yemen on 17 January. [66938]

Mr. Fatchett

The Netherlands Embassy in Sana'a notified our Embassy at 1500 hours local time on 17 January that a Dutch family and Mr. and Mrs. Rosser had not returned to Sana'a as expected. A few hours later their vehicles were found abandoned 180 kms north of Sana'a. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was immediately informed.