Written answers

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Department of Foreign Affairs

Human Rights Issues

9:00 pm

Photo of Billy TimminsBilly Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 680: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will respond to a query (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1855/10]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I shall, of course, be responding to the correspondence to which the Deputy refers.

The issue of human rights in North Korea and the plight of the ordinary people there are matters of very deep concern. While the North Korean regime continues to invest precious resources in its nuclear and military programmes, and in the welfare of its elites, the country is suffering chronic food insecurity and high malnutrition rates, and remains reliant on external food assistance to meet the needs of its 23 million people.

Violations of human rights in North Korea are well-documented. In his report of 22 October last, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn, described the human rights situation there as "abysmal". He noted that despite various formal guarantees in the Constitution, the people of the DPRK are subject to persecution, clampdowns, collective punishment, torture, arbitrary executions and public executions and he added that almost 9 million people in the DPRK are suffering from food shortages.

I take these human rights violations very seriously. Issues relating to human rights are raised bilaterally with the North Korean authorities by our Ambassador in Seoul, who is accredited to North Korea, during his regular visits to the North. They have also been raised by visiting senior officials from my Department.

North Korea broke off the Human Rights Dialogue which the EU initiated with it some years ago. EU meetings of a more general nature continue to take place, however, human rights concerns are raised in this context. The most recent such meeting, at senior official level, took place during an EU Troika visit to Pyongyang from 26 - 30 October last.

On 7 December North Korea was subject to a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the Human Rights Council. A wide range of issues regarding human rights abuses were raised. In its contribution to the UPR, the Irish delegation raised a number of specific human rights issues directly with the DPRK authorities, including those relating to the right to a fair trial and freedom of religion. We noted the widely-shared alarm, across the international community and from all regions, at the extent of human suffering caused by the violations of human rights in DPRK and we called again on the authorities there to work with the Special Rapporteur. Unfortunately, North Korea has consistently refused to recognise or co-operate in any way with the Special Rapporteur or with any other human rights investigations.

As regards the issue of money laundering, I am certainly aware that there are widespread allegations relating to North Korea's financial arrangements abroad and to possible money-laundering activities. This issue was much highlighted previously in the context of Macau. Action has been taken internationally to address illegal money-laundering and we will continue to monitor whether additional regulation is required in this regard.

At the EU level, the EU Council's 3rd Money Laundering Directive requires financial institutions and certain other persons, such as lawyers and accountants, to identify their customers (including beneficial owners) and to report suspicions of money laundering to the national authorities . This Directive's provisions apply to all EU Member States, including Luxembourg.

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