Written question asked by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Tuesday, 1 April 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 April 2003. It was answered by Mike O'Brien (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 April 2003 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Vietnamese government concerning the persecution of Montagnard Christians in the Central Highlands of Vietnam; and what benchmarks are used to monitor progress in these discussions.

Answer: Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Vietnamese Government concerning the persecution of Montagnard Christians in the central highlands of Vietnam; and what benchmarks are used to monitor progress in these discussions. [107367] Mr. Mike O'Brien: We regularly raise the problems faced by the Montagnards in the Central Highlands with the Vietnamese Government. I discussed the issue with Vietnam's Foreign Minister Nien when I last met him in June 2002. The FCO's Asia Pacific Director raised religious freedom when she discussed human rights with senior Vietnamese officials in December 2002. We are currently working to develop a more focused approach to the group including through the development of an action plan. Our Embassy also monitors progress by regular visits to the Central Highlands region including as part of a delegation from EU Embassies in Hanoi.

Secondary information