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Tibet: Human Rights

Volume 479: debated on Monday 21 July 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Chinese government on reported human rights abuses against Tibetan people. (219549)

We continue to monitor the situation in Tibet and the surrounding region. We have expressed our concern regularly to the Chinese authorities, both in Beijing and London, and continue to urge them to respect fully the human rights of those detained; to avoid use of excessive force in dealing with unrest; and to respect freedom of expression and religion in Tibet.

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed Tibet several times with Foreign Minister Yang, most recently on 12 June when they met in Paris.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to establish the extent to which human rights abuses have occurred in the Tibetan province in the latest period for which figures are available. (219550)

We have regularly raised our concerns with the Chinese government about reported human rights abuses in Tibet following the recent unrest. I refer my hon. Friend to my response to written parliamentary question 218331 on 17 July, Official Report, columns 690-91W. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Chinese authorities on the systematic removal by Chinese troops of symbols of religious importance and other valuable antiquities from monasteries in occupied Tibet. (220269)

We regularly urge the Chinese government to respect and protect Tibetan cultural values and religious beliefs and continue to raise the issue of Tibet with the Chinese government at the highest levels. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did this most recently when he met the Chinese Foreign Minister on 12 June. Our officials also discussed freedom of religion in detail during the last round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue which took place in Beijing at the end of January.