§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on human rights abuses in Nepal. [42602]
§ Mr. BradshawWe have not received any formal representations about human rights abuses in Nepal, although my officials are in contact with human rights NGOs and regularly discuss the situation with them.
We are very concerned about reports of human rights abuses committee by the Maoists. NGOs estimate that they may be responsible for the summary execution of 400 civilians.
We are aware of allegations in the Nepalese media of human rights abuses by the Royal Nepalese Army. We are concerned about this, and have made our views clear to the Government of Nepal: I myself did so during my 1196W visit to Kathmandu last month. Prime Minister Deuba has repeatedly stressed that abuses will not be tolerated. The Nepalese authorities have professed the need for improvement, and have undertaken to co-operate with the international community to achieve this.
The British embassy's human rights adviser in Kathmandu is monitoring the human rights situation closely and developing strategies to assist the Nepalese Government and civil society in tackling human rights issues.