§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with governments in the Far East regarding(a) drug crime and (b) piracy; and if he will make a statement on the threat of crime in the region. [115166]
Mr. Mike OBrienThere have been no recent ministerial discussions on drug crime or piracy with Far Eastern Governments.
The Government are concerned at the level of piracy reported from the region and have participated in initiatives to raise the profile of this problem. In 2002, the UK and Philippine Governments took the lead in organising an EU-ASEAN Experts meeting on piracy and crimes at sea. Last year, the FCO sponsored delegations from the region to attend an international seminar on maritime violence. The UK continues to press the European Commission and EU Partners to follow up initiatives against this form of crime.
We monitor the regional threat to UK interests from other forms of organised crime. In response, we have concluded an agreement with the Chinese Government to post a Liaison Officer from the National Crime Squad to our embassy in Beijing. In addition, the remit of the regional Drugs Liaison Officer based in Hong Kong is being widened. He will in future cover serious crimes such as money laundering, the criminal facilitation of illegal immigration, the export of precursor chemicals for the production of class A drugs, the activities of paedophiles and the production and smuggling of counterfeit cigarettes.