HL Deb 17 November 2003 vol 654 c241WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will make representations to the Government of Vietnam about persecution of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, and encourage the European Union to raise the matter. [HL5221]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

In Vietnam, the UK works closely with EU partners on human rights matters. The EU Presidency has already made representations to the Vietnamese Government about the recent detention of senior members of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV). It will be seeking further information about the alleged incidents involving the UBCV at the next EU Vietnam human rights dialogue meeting later this month. When my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary met Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nien in September, he presented him with the EU's list of prisoners of concern, which includes UBCV prisoners.