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Persecution of Christians (South-East Asia and China)

: I shall answer the hon. Lady's question, which she raised during her contribution, but I shall talk first about other issues that have been raised, such as those of Laos, Burma and Indonesia. Our contacts with the authorities in Laos are limited; relations are covered by our embassy in Bangkok. However, we regularly raise with the Laos authorities our concerns about the persecution of Christians. Only last month a representative of the British embassy in Bangkok raised the issue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vientiane. We also regularly raise the situation of the Hmong people with the Laos Government; most recently, that was done by an official from our embassy in Bangkok. Like the UN Secretary-General, we welcome reports that those Hmong people recently coming out of remote areas have been treated humanely and we call on the Laos Government to continue to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance to them. A number of hon. Members raised the situation in Burma. I agree that there remain instances of restriction on the right to exercise freedom of religion in Burma and we have condemned that in successive, highly critical UK and EU-sponsored UN resolutions—most recently in April's United Nations Commission on Human Rights resolution on Burma, which expressed grave concern at discrimination and persecution on the basis of religious or ethnic background. We are very concerned that offensives continue in Karen state, despite ongoing ceasefire talks with the Karen National Union. The Burmese Government are well aware of our concerns about human rights abuses in the ethnic minority areas. Most Burmese Christians are able to follow their religion relatively freely, but their freedom of assembly and expression are severely curtailed, as is that of other groups in Burma. Our views on the human rights situation in the country are extremely well known and we will continue to press the Burmese Government to improve human rights. However, our simple trouble is that the Burmese authorities show no great willingness at all to listen to the representations that we and others make. We will continue to work with our EU partners and throughout the international community to promote national reconciliation in Burma so that all faiths there can live freely. We shall continue to put what pressure we can on the Burmese authorities to ensure that they address the issue of human rights, as they are clearly not doing at the moment. The hon. Member for Edinburgh, West and my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud raised the issue of religious freedom in Indonesia and the case of three women recently arrested there. Members of the British embassy in Jakarta are looking into those reports. We have not been able to verify them so far, but will continue to look into the case. Together with our European partners, we are in regular dialogue with the Indonesian Government and we encourage them to ensure religious freedom, to maintain law and order and promote reconciliation in areas of conflict. We have regular contacts with NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, on the human rights situation in China, and we take their concerns very seriously. They have a part in the UK-China human rights dialogue in that we give them feedback on how that dialogue goes. The hon. Member for Vale of York raised the question of what auditing we do and gave the example of what is done in the States. We produce an annual human rights report, which is an extremely well researched and thorough document, drawing on a wide range of reliable sources, not just the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our embassies and consulates. Last year it ran to more than 400 pages. This year's human rights report is due to be published this month. I can assure hon. Members that it covers religious persecution in south-east Asia and China, as well as human rights abuses in all other parts of the world. Let me finish by assuring hon. Members of the seriousness that the Government attach to human rights abuses in south-east Asia and China. We take every appropriate opportunity to raise human rights abuses both bilaterally with the relevant countries and working with our EU partners, and through all relevant international forums. We have a proud and strong track record when it comes to raising human rights issues and we will continue to do that while we are in government.