Vol. 404 No. 7
119 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has made any representations regarding (a) the kidnapping charges against persons (details supplied) who are held in the Philippines, (b) the deportation proceedings against an Irish person (details supplied) in Colombia and (c) a Hit List naming Irish Colombans as communists on the Negros Island.
With regard to part (a) of the question, I would refer the Deputy to the answer which I gave on 18 December 1990. Since then my Department have been in regular contact with the Irish legal representative of the individuals concerned. The latter has now prepared a dossier on the case which he is in the process of forwarding to their Philippine legal representative.
My Department have also instructed the Honorary Consul General of Ireland at Manila to monitor the case in conjunction with their Philippine legal representative. The Honorary Consul General has also himself been in contact with the Philippine authorities regarding the case.
With regard to part (b) of the question, I would refer the Deputy to the answer which I gave on 30 March 1990. On that occasion I indicated that I had raised the case with the Philippine Minister for Foreign Affairs during the course of the EC-Asean meeting at Kuching the previous month. I understand that the charges have since been dropped.
With regard to part (c) of the question, I wish to state that, on my instructions, representations have been made on two occasions to the Philippine authorities because of reports of threats to Irish Missionaries working in the Negros Occidental Province of the Philippines.
