§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions he has had with his European counterparts regarding the persecution of Christians, with particular reference to the Montagnard refugees, in the Mondolkiri province of Cambodia; [39872]
(2) if he will make a statement regarding the treatment of repatriated Montagnard refugees in Vietnam; and what estimate he has made of the numbers of refugees involved; [39873]
(3) what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to press the Cambodian and Vietnamese Governments to (a) improve the treatment of the Montagnard refugees in their refugee camp in Mondolkiri province, Cambodia and (b) ensure that these refugees are allowed to freely choose whether to return to Vietnam. [39874]
§ Mr. BradshawWe have been monitoring the plight of the Vietnamese refugees in Cambodia for several months. Our embassies in Hanoi and Phnom Penh have been in regular contact with the Vietnamese and Cambodian 207W Governments, the local UNHCR representatives, and resident EU partners about this issue. The issue has also been discussed at official level in Brussels. When the Deputy Prime Minister visited Vietnam in December he urged the Secretary General of the Vietnamese Communist Party to co-operate with the UNHCR to ensure that the Vietnamese refugees could return without fear of retribution.
We are deeply concerned at recent reports that the Vietnamese and Cambodian Governments have failed to abide by the agreement they reached on 21 January with the UNHCR for the voluntary return of the refugees under UNHCR supervision. We are currently consulting with the UNHCR, EU partners and other sympathetic Governments on what action we should take to best safeguard the welfare of these refugees. 15 refugees were repatriated to Vietnam on 19 February, and we believe that there are around 1,070 refugees still remaining in two camps in Cambodia.