Vol. 552 No. 1
103 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts being made by the Government to ensure the safety of a person (details supplied) who is currently on the run from right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia, having arrived there with the human rights organisation Sembrar to monitor human rights abuses in the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11384/02]
My Department has been actively engaged in efforts to ensure the safety of the person to whom the Deputy refers. Officials in the embassy in Mexico, which is accredited to Colombia, have been in contact with the person on a number of occasions since he went there last November.
On 13 March 2002, he travelled to a remote rural area of Colombia. He was advised by the Colombian authorities that it was unsafe for him to travel there and that he risked attack if he continued his journey. On reaching this area, he became concerned for his security and sought the assistance of my Department in ensuring his safe passage back to the urban area where he had been based. My Department, through the embassy in Mexico, contacted the Colombian authorities and I can confirm that the person has now returned safely. He has been in contact with the embassy in Mexico and has expressed appreciation for the assistance provided.
While the principal threat in this case may have been from the right-wing paramilitary forces, the person in question was also at risk from left-wing rebels who have engaged in widespread and often indiscriminate acts of violence in Colombia. In the current circumstances, it is not possible to guarantee the safety of any individual in certain areas of Colombia. My Department's strong advice to Irish citizens is that travel to Colombia should be undertaken only if absolutely necessary and should be confined to the relative safety of large urban areas.
