Vol. 530 No. 6
132 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has made representations to the Chinese Government in relation to the imprisonment of the Panchen Lama; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that he is only 11 years of age and has been imprisoned for almost five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4928/01]
Ireland, together with our EU partners, has been pursuing a human rights dialogue with China since 1997. The case of Gedhun Chohekyi Nyima, the Dalai Lama's choice as Panchen Lama, has been repeatedly raised with China at the sessions of this dialogue. In response, China has informed the EU that he is in good health and is attending primary school. However, despite repeated attempts, the EU has not succeeded to date in securing a visit by an independent delegation to the young Panchen Lama and his family.
The next round of the EU-China human rights dialogue will take place in Stockholm later this week on 22-23 February. The case of Gedhun Chohekyi Nyima, the Panchen Lama, will again be raised with China at this meeting. The EU delegation will also repeat its request that an independent delegation be given access to the Panchen Lama. This EU objective was underlined in the recent review of the EU-China human rights dialogue which was endorsed by the General Affairs Council on 22 January 2001.
