Rohingya: Refugees

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead Excerpts

Thursday 23rd November 2017 Lords Chamber

[The Lord Bishop of Coventry]

My Lords—

[Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Noble Lords]

Bishop!

[Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead]

I am being urged to carry on. Thank you. Does the Minister recognise that continual genocidal attacks have driven over 700,000 injured Rohingya people out of Burma, and many who remain exist in the terrible misery of detention camps? Is it not therefore clear that these realities mean that repatriation would be not a solution but a terrible punishment? Therefore, instead of hoping for the Rohingya to return, will the Government make it their absolute priority to encourage the Bangladeshi Government to enable major NGOs to provide long-term humanitarian and development aid for these oppressed, homeless people so that they do not have to fear a return to hell?

[Lord Bates]

I fear that is correct. As I said in my opening Answer to the noble Lord, we are preparing for a protracted refugee crisis. However, we have to keep the pressure up by saying that we want those refugees to be able to return home in safety and for that to be part of a wider solution that addresses their human rights.