11/20/32
18:28
AUSTRALIAN CONSULATE GENERAL H.K
852 827 dis
Senator Schacht:
12.
Thirty-six on the Urumqi list.
Question: And the response?
Senator Schacht: They just took it. We gave them the list and said, "We would like your response to this." I must say, even I can't expect that when you give them a list and then someone says, "Oh yes, tick the names off.
You've got to given, I think, a reasonable chance for people to respond. The only time that ever it was mentioned about Tibet last year when we actually presented a list of names, one of the officials had turned up with his filing-cabinet and he actually started going through the names last year and we got off them, straight off, a number of cases dealt with and some information. That was, in my view, a bit of a fluke because this man didn't quite know what we were or who we were and why we were there, so he thought he would bring everything along from his office, including most of his filing system and his card-index, and so we were able to get some information directly. Normally, I wouldn't expect in the formal presentation at these meetings that you can give them a list and then expect someone to say, "yes sir".
Question: Were they hostile or were they receptive?
Senator Schacht: They accepted the list, they weren't hostile in receiving it, and we said we'd like a response through our embassy in Beijing, and they accepted it politely; there was no angst about receiving the list at any
level.
Question: Did you receive any information at all?
Senator Schacht:
We haven't yet received any information.
Question: Did you receive any information on the list that you gave them the last time you visited?
Senator Schacht: Yes, we did receive information on a number of cases, which is in our report last time, but not as much as we would have liked, but at least we got some. And last time, that was the first time the Chinese have ever given to a foreign delegation, acknowledgement of the condition of domestic prisoners. Up until then, they had flatly refused to do so.
Mr Russell: We should clarify that those 36 from Xinjiang were included in the 211. And some of the names of the 211 were names we're seeking additional information on people whose names were raised last year?
Question: China has always insisted that the human rights issue is an internal affair and does not want any other