Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the protests and mass demonstrations in West Papua since 15 August.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government are concerned about recent clashes in Papua. The Indonesian Government has announced an investigation; which we encourage them to ensure is comprehensive.
The UK fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia, including Papua. We continue to urge parties to refrain from violence and respect the rule of law.
The Indonesian Government has the right to enforce security on its own territory. We continue to press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to peacefully protest, and ensure the sustainable and equitable development of Papua.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 28 May (HL15771), whether any government department has provided funding or training for the Indonesian police unit Detachment 88, or its successors, since 2017.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Government does not provide any funding for police units in Indonesia. However, since the 2005 terrorist attack in Bali, the British and Indonesian Governments have worked together to tackle the threat posed by international terrorist groups which includes the delivery of counter-terrorism capacity building training to Detachment 88 through the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Co-operation. Our support includes teaching a broad range of counter terrorism investigation and analytical skills. We have also provided Detachment 88 with essential equipment to enhance their forensic, surveillance and IT capabilities. Such support helps the Indonesian authorities defend against all terrorist threats.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they are providing for the Indonesian police unit deployed in West Papua.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Government does not provide any funding for police units deployed in Papua or West Papua provinces. We follow the situation in Papua with close interest. Officials from the British Embassy in Jakarta visit Papua regularly.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Brunei about abrogating the laws under which homosexuals can be stoned to death.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary spoke to Brunei’s Foreign Minister, Dato Erywan, on 4 April to express the UK’s concerns about the impact of the Sharia Penal Code. On 11 April, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Asia and the Pacific met Dato Erywan and the Finance Minister, Dato Amin Liew, in London. The Prime Minister wrote to His Majesty The Sultan on 1 May. We welcome the assurances thereafter provided by the Sultan on 5 May. In particular, confirmation that the de facto moratorium on the death penalty will apply to punishments under the Sharia Penal Code and the commitment to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Following this announcement, the Minister for Asia and the Pacific met Dato Erywan and Dato Amin Liew on 7 May. I also welcomed these assurances during my meeting with the Minister of Transport and Infocommunications, Dato Mutalib on 16 May.
The announcement by His Majesty the Sultan demonstrates the importance of engaging in respectful dialogue and diplomacy to address sensitive issues. The assurances provided by the Sultan are positive and go some way to addressing our anxieties about the human rights situation in Brunei. We urge Brunei to build on these assurances and formalise its commitment to respect individual freedoms and minorities.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Indonesia about lifting the ban on foreign journalists visiting West Papua.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
President Jokowi made clear his intention to allow free access for foreign journalists to Papua when he announced the lifting of the ban in May 2015. A number of foreign journalists have since gained access to report on the region. Unfortunately it seems some elements of the Government have been slow to respond to President Jokowi’s wishes. We continue to receive reports that journalists face difficulties in securing visas and restrictions on free reporting.
In January 2018, I raised my concern on this issue with the Indonesian ambassador to London, and officials in Indonesia also raised this when they visited Papua in February 2019. The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific acknowledged at a Westminster Hall Debate on 8 May 2019 that transparency and media access are important. We continue to encourage Indonesian journalists to write openly and frankly about Papua to ensure that local perspectives are properly heard and are part of any debate.
Our Embassy in Jakarta is very active in promoting press freedom. To mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2019 the Embassy arranged a full programme of activities to celebrate the work of journalists, media organisations and regulators. Indonesia will also be invited to the global Media Freedoms event in July, which the UK is co-hosting with Canada, which will promote the importance of media freedom and aim to adopt a more co-ordinated approach to securing the safety of media professionals.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Indonesia to ensure that British-supplied arms are not used for internal repression in West Papua.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK takes its arms export responsibilities seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. We do not export equipment where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used for internal repression.
We follow the situation in Papua closely. The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific set out our concerns about violence in Papua and reports of alleged human rights violations by the security forces at a Westminster Hall debate on 8 May. The Minister raised concerns about the situation in Papua with the Indonesian Ambassador earlier this year. We will continue to press the Indonesian authorities to strengthen their human rights protections.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the account of the visit of Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sir Simon McDonald to Sudan set out in the press release of 11 January by the Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan <i>Visit to Sudan by FCO’s Permanent Undersecretary Sir Simon McDonald</i>.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We welcome the fact that the press release published by the Sudanese Embassy in London portrays the visit to Sudan of the Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development as positively reflecting progress in the bilateral relationship. As we made clear in our press release published on 11 January, the visit also reinforced the UK's commitment to supporting peace, stability, human rights and economic development for Sudan; building space for a frank and open dialogue on issues of mutual concern, whilst allowing us to underline the central importance of respect for human rights and political freedoms.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the visit of Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sir Simon McDonald to Sudan, what was discussed during the visit and what were the conclusions.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
A senior delegation led by the Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Simon McDonald, and the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development, Sir Mark Lowcock, visited Khartoum and Darfur between 9-10 January for wide-ranging talks. In addition to Sudan-UK bilateral interests, discussions also centred around human rights, conflict, migration, humanitarian and development assistance, economic issues and regional security. These were productive and constructive discussions that helped build a frank and open dialogue on issues of mutual concern, whilst also allowing us to underline the central importance of respect for human rights and political freedoms.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the use of chemical weapons by Sudanese government forces in Darfur.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are concerned by the allegations of chemical weapons use in Sudan. We are aware that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are looking into these allegations and have asked the government of Sudan to share all relevant information. The use of chemical weapons is contrary to international law and we unreservedly condemn their use by anyone, anywhere. We have raised our concerns during UN Security Council Consultations and directly with the government of Sudan.