§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions his Department has had with the government of China following the execution of Lobsang Dhondup; and what the outcome was; [98821]
589W(2) what representations his Department has made to the government of China following the execution of Lobsang Dhondup. [99359]
§ Mr. RammellI issued a statement on 28 January 2003 expressing strong concern at the execution of Lobsang Dhondup. We also supported strongly worded EU demarches and an EU declaration on the case.
We have raised Lobsang Dhondup's case three times with the Chinese MFA. They explained that Lobsang Dhondup was a Chinese citizen who had committed very serious crimes which merited severe punishment. China had the right to put him to trial and to pass verdict on him. The legal proceedings were, according to the MFA, in line with the regulations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
We shall continue to raise our concerns about this case and the treatment of Tibetans more generally with the Chinese.