Question No. 60

To ask the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the detention in China of Irish residents (details supplied).

- Gay Mitchell.

* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 27 January 2000.

Ref No. 2035/00

REPLY

The persons referred to in the Deputy's question are all Chinese citizens who were resident in Ireland for purposes of work or study. All are active members of the body known as Falun Gong, which was banned by the Chinese authorities last July. Four such individual returned to China from Ireland before Christmas and, according to the information received from one of them, engaged in various Falun Gong related activities, including lodging or attempting to lodge complaints with the Chinese authorities on the latter's policy in regard to the Falun Gong movement. As a result of these activities, they were arrested by the Chinese authorities. Three of these persons have not been allowed by the Chinese authorities to leave China and I understand that they may be under various forms of detention, including house arrest, in their respective home locations. The fourth individual was allowed to leave China and returned to Dublin.

The Deputy will no doubt be aware that Ireland, together with its EU partners, has closely monitored the measures taken by the Chinese Government, against Falun Gong practitioners. We have expressed our concern about the situation and called on the Chinese authorities to respect the human rights of individuals, including those who are followers of Falun Gong. We have urged the Chinese authorities not to act against the principles contained in the UN Covenants signed by China, in particular those relating to the freedoms of expression, assembly and association. We have also concerned about the number of arrests and the heavy sentences imposed on members of the Falun Gong movement. Those concerns, I should add, also extend to heavy sentences imposed on members of the China Democratic Party and on members of Christian churches. The last occasion when such concerns were expressly raised by Ireland was last week.

As none of these persons is in Irish citizen, Ireland has no consular function in this matter. AS they are Chinese citizens they are subject to the laws of China while in that country, including in respect of Falun Gong.