Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-30-Speech-3-069"
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"en.20051130.11.3-069"2
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".
Madam President, I would like to start by assuring you that the Commission in all its activities in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam is committed to the principles of human rights, democracy and good governance. The Commission has stated on several occasions that it agrees with Parliament that there are issues of concern in the area of human rights in these countries.
In Vietnam and Laos, specific working groups on cooperation in the areas of institutional strengthening, administrative reform, governance and human rights have been established under the cooperation agreements. These working groups complement and reinforce the dialogue on human rights by sharing experiences and conducting longer-term policy dialogue in areas of mutual interest, as well as identifying suitable areas for cooperation projects and cooperation programmes.
The Commission is of the view that the ongoing dialogue and cooperation at a number of levels and in various fora have proven to be conducive in building confidence and engaging the three countries on sensitive human rights issues. It allows the Commission to channel EU concerns directly to the authorities in an open and constructive atmosphere, putting steady pressure on them to be more transparent and more accountable in human rights policies.
The Commission is convinced that engagement on human rights issues through dialogue and cooperation will continue to lead to improvements of the human rights situation on the ground.
First as regards Laos, freedom of speech, assembly and association remain restricted and independent local civil-society-based organisations are not allowed. The conditions in prisons are particularly harsh and a smaller number of prisoners of conscience are still in prison, for example, the remaining four leaders of the 26 October 1999 movement. On the other hand, in the last two years and in particular during 2005, the situation has improved. Arbitrary arrests of Laos citizens seem to be less frequent and since mid-2004 no cases of religious persecution have been reported.
Turning to the situation of the monks in Laos, the Commission would like to reiterate that in Laos there is not a minority problem of the monks per se. There are approximately 350 000 monks in Laos and they are represented at all levels of society including in the National Assembly and the government. However, there are a number of insurgent groups consisting of between 1000 and 3000 people and composed mainly of monks which continue to oppose the Laos Government.
Regarding these groups, the situation has improved significantly during the last month following direct negotiations between the Laos army and insurgent groups. Since March 2004 more than 1300 people, mostly women, children and the elderly, have come out from the jungle and been reintegrated and resettled. According to reliable local intelligence there were no killings, mistreatments or persecutions.
As regards Vietnam, restrictions on the six recognised religious organisations and the lack of religious freedom for non-recognised groups continue to be a major concern. The situation is particularly difficult for ethnic minority Protestants in the central highlands and northern uplands and for non-recognised Buddhists, Hoa Hao and Cao Dai organisations.
New legislation relating to religious freedom which has been adopted in the last two years has softened some of the tools used by the state to control religious organisations and allows hitherto non-recognised groups to seek official recognition. It also explicitly prohibits forced renunciation of faith. Having said this, much will depend on how the new legislation is translated in practice across the country.
In the case of Cambodia, the trends as regards human rights and democracy are more worrying. Recent events like the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of three members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party and the sentencing of two Sam Rainsy Party members undoubtedly raise scepticism about the commitment of the two parties in power in the coalition government to a genuinely pluralistic democratic system. It also highlights concerns about the competence and independence of the Cambodian judiciary. They constitute a further weakening of the opposition and risk stalling the continued development of the democratic process in the country.
As honourable Members might be aware, a strong EU declaration has been issued on this subject and I can assure you that EU concerns have been brought to the personal attention of the Prime Minister by the local representative of the European Union Presidency. These trends are very serious and deserve our full attention. The Commission, together with representatives of the European Union Member States, will therefore continue to monitor the situation very closely and remain ready to take further action should the situation deteriorate further.
On a general level, the Commission raises human rights concerns regularly and consistently with Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. This is done through ad hoc EU troika demarches and in political and expert level meetings, including the joint committees which are established under the European Community Agreements with these countries."@en1
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