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Nepal

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the political situation in Nepal and its development since January 2004; and if he will make a statement. [214732]

Mr. Alexander: We are deeply concerned by the current political situation in Nepal. The King's recent move to assume direct control of the country is a backward step for democracy. Following the royal takeover I summoned the Nepalese ambassador to express our grave concern and released a public statement in which I said that his action would increase the risk of instability in Nepal and undermine the institutions of democracy and constitutional monarchy in the country. I also called for the immediate restitution of multi-party democracy. A copy of my statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases.

Immediately after the takeover of power by the King the EU presidency issued a statement on behalf of the EU which expressed our concerns about restrictions on liberty and calling for human rights to be respected. Our ambassador in Kathmandu raised these issues directly with the King in an audience on 8 February. With other EU member states' ambassadors he also raised them with the new Nepalese Foreign Minister on 7 February.

On 14 February my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary recalled our ambassador in Nepal to London for consultations. Following those consultations with our ambassador and other key international partners we decided to withdraw the proposal, laid before Parliament in a minute of 20 January 2005, for a further tranche of military assistance to Nepal.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have made to (i) members of the royal family of Nepal and (ii) representatives of the Government of Nepal regarding King Gyanendra's declaration of a state of emergency on 1 February; and if he will make a statement. [214733]


 
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Mr. Alexander: Following the takeover of power by the King I summoned the Nepalese ambassador on 1 February to express our grave concern at developments. I also issued a public statement on 1 February in which I set out our concern that his actions would increase the risk of instability in Nepal and undermine the institutions of democracy and constitutional monarchy in the country. In that statement I called for the immediate restitution of multi-party democracy. A copy of my statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases.

Immediately after the takeover of power by the king the EU presidency issued a statement on behalf of the EU which explained our concerns about restrictions on liberty and calling for human rights to be respected. Our ambassador in Kathmandu raised these issues directly with the King in an audience on 8 February. With other EU member states' ambassadors he also raised them with the new Nepalese Foreign Minister on 7 February.

On 14 February my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary recalled our ambassador in Nepal to London for consultations. Following those consultations with our ambassador and other key international partners we decided to withdraw the proposal, laid before Parliament in a minute of 20 January 2005, for a further tranche of military assistance to Nepal.

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to (a) seek the release and (b) secure the protection of (i) political leaders and (ii) human rights activists following recent actions by King Gyanendra in Nepal; and if he will make a statement. [215933]

Mr. Alexander: Immediately after the takeover of power by the King we issued a statement with our EU partners which expressed our grave concerns about restrictions on liberty and calling for human rights to be respected. Our ambassador in Kathmandu raised these issues directly with the King in an audience on 8 February. With other EU member states' ambassadors he also raised them with the new Nepalese Foreign Minister on 7 February.

Because of media and other restrictions we may not be aware of all those arrested or detained, especially outside Kathmandu. Human rights sources have identified some 270 individuals who are still detained, including students, political activists, journalists and academics.

We are keeping the situation on the various restrictions on liberty in place in Nepal under review. We intend that our ambassador should again raise our concerns about restrictions on civil rights in his next audience with the King.

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to seek to secure the independence and integrity of the Nepali National Human Rights Commission and ensure the protection of its premises and documents; and if he will make a statement. [215936]

Mr. Alexander: The UK has been a committed supporter of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Nepal, whose activities we have part funded,
 
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in particular by providing for technical assistance on human rights monitoring. The tenure of the current Commission expires in April and the absence of Parliament will make the appointment of new commissioners problematic. We are particularly concerned about the future independence and integrity of the NHRC following the King's takeover of power on 1 February. Our ambassador has raised our concerns with the new Foreign Minister and we will be considering with international partners how best to press for the continuing independence and integrity of the NHRC.

Immediately after the takeover of power by the King we issued a statement with our EU partners which expressed our grave concerns about restrictions on liberty and calling for human rights to be respected. Our ambassador in Kathmandu raised these issues directly with the King in an audience on 8 February. With other EU member states' ambassadors he also raised them with the new Nepalese Foreign Minister on 7 February.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) officials in his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with members and representatives of the Government of (i) India, (ii) China and (iii) Bhutan regarding the current situation in Nepal; and if he will make a statement. [215988]

Mr. Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in Nepal during his recent visit to India. Senior officials have also had a number of discussions with Indian officials about the situation in Nepal. Officials have also discussed the situation in Nepal with the Government of China. We have so far had no discussions with the Government of Bhutan regarding recent developments in Nepal.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of (a) the number of civilian and military casualties of the Maoist revolt in Nepal per annum since 1997, (b) the social and economic impact of the Maoist revolt in Nepal and (c) the measures undertaken by the Government of Nepal to address the Maoist revolt since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [215989]

Mr. Alexander: It is very hard to give precise figures for the number of casualties caused by the Maoist insurgency in Nepal. We do not have figures of casualties going back to 1997 on an annual basis.

The social impact of the conflict has been very considerable. Maoist violence, especially in the villages and towns outside the district capitals, has caused widespread fear among the locals. It has caused major disruption to key services, including education and health. Many schools have been forced to close and many locals have been forced to flee their homes to avoid being attacked by the Maoists or forcibly recruited into their ranks. Many thousands of people have been displaced, many are homeless and without access to basic amenities. The security forces' failure consistently to respect human rights has compounded
 
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the situation. The conflict has further damaged the social fabric by increasing ethnic divisions and reducing the rule of law in the rural areas.

The conflict has also done great damage to the Nepalese national economy, which has become one of the prime Maoist targets. The Maoists regularly extort money from local businesses and industries and prevent businesses from running normally. They enforce frequent strikes (bandhs) and seek to prevent the free movement of goods. Hundreds of companies have been forced to close. The Maoists have also attacked the tourism industry infrastructure, so damaging a key contribution to the Nepalese economy. Unemployment is now a serious problem.

The Government of Nepal have employed a mixture of military and diplomatic measures since 1997 to combat Maoist activity and bring about a successful resolution of the conflict. There have been two rounds of negotiations, in 2001 and 2003, both of which broke down.

We continue to advocate the need for an inclusive peace process, involving all of the constitutional forces. We consider that this offers the only way to resolve the conflict in a manner which will lead to a stable Nepal based on a multi party democracy, good government and respect for human rights.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) officials in his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with members and representatives of the Government of Nepal concerning (i) civil rights and (ii) freedom of speech in Nepal since 1 February; and if he will make a statement. [215990]

Mr. Alexander: Following the King of Nepal's assumption of power on 1 February I summoned the Nepalese ambassador to express the UK's grave concern about his actions. In a statement afterwards I set out our real concern at the King's dismissal of his Prime Minister, and warned that his action would increase the risk of instability in Nepal and undermine the institutions of democracy and constitutional monarchy. I called for the immediate restitution of multi-party democracy in Nepal. A copy of my statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases.

Our ambassador met with the King on 8 February. During this meeting he conveyed to the King the UK's strong concern about the damage the King's actions had done to democracy in Nepal, and about the state of emergency in Nepal, including the continuing suspension of civil liberties, the detention of politicians and the strict media censorship since the palace coup of 1 February. Our ambassador also conveyed our concerns to the new Nepalese Foreign Minister in a meeting on 7 February.

Such is our concern about the King's takeover of power that on 14 February my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary recalled our ambassador in Nepal to London for consultations. Following those consultations with our ambassador and other key international partners we decided to withdraw the
 
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proposal, laid before Parliament in a minute of 20 January 2005, for a further tranche of military assistance to Nepal. We intend that our ambassador should again raise our concerns about restrictions on civil rights in Nepal in his next audience with the King.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the political situation in Nepal. [218706]

Mr. Alexander: The UK is deeply concerned by the current political situation in Nepal. We believe that the King's recent move to dismiss the Prime Minister and assume power outside the framework of a multi party democratic system is likely to put back the prospects of a negotiated settlement. Immediately following the King's takeover of power on 1 February I issued a statement in which I said that this action would increase the risk of instability in Nepal and undermine the institutions of democracy and constitutional monarchy in the country. A copy of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases. Such is the level of our concern that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary temporarily recalled our Ambassador in Kathmandu for consultations on 14 February.

The UK has consistently held the view that there can be no military resolution and that a negotiated political settlement involving all parties offers the best way to resolve the ongoing conflict and to create a stable democracy with good governance and respect for human rights. We will continue to press all parties for an early return to negotiations.

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had regarding (a) the current situation in Nepal and (b) the safety of British non-governmental organisations in the area; and if he will make a statement. [219342]

Mr. Alexander: We have held discussions about the current situation in Nepal with both the Nepalese authorities and our international partners. Following the King's takeover of power on 1 February I summoned the Nepalese Ambassador to convey our grave concerns. Our Ambassador in Nepal also had an audience with the King to convey the same message. On 14 February my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary recalled our Ambassador to Nepal for consultations, in step with similar action by the US, EU, Indians and others. The Foreign Secretary held discussions on Nepal with his Indian counterparts during his recent visit to India and we have also discussed Nepal with other international parties at official level.

The Government take any threat to the safety of United Kingdom nationals in Nepal, as elsewhere, very seriously. The British embassy in Nepal has been in close contact with British NGOs since the early days of the Maoist insurgency and offers regular briefings on
 
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security to new arrivals as well as making provision for assistance in times of emergency through a system of local volunteer wardens in which representatives of British NGOs take part.


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