Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support international sanctions and prosecution of the government of Myanmar, its army, and senior military personnel responsible for ethnic cleansing.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We judge there is currently insufficient support across the UN Security Council to table a resolution demanding sanctions against Burma.
The Foreign Secretary secured agreement at the 16 October EU Foreign Affairs Council to the suspension of military visits to the EU and review of all practical defence engagement, and a commitment that the EU would look at additional measures if the situation in Rakhine does not improve.
We shall continue to keep up the pressure on Burma's government to send a clear message to their security forces to stop the violence, ensure a full investigation of allegations of human rights violations, full access to the UN Fact Finding Mission and commit to ensuring accountability for the perpetrators.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support a referral of Myanmar to the International Criminal Court in respect of alleged crimes against humanity in Rakhine state.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While it is States which have primary responsibility for investigating allegations of crimes under international law, the UN Security Council could refer Burma to the International Criminal Court (ICC). We judge this unlikely and accordingly, we believe it more effective to seek to work with the Government of Burma and international partners to resolve the situation in Rakhine state.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have raised the issue of Rohingya communities at the UN Security Council; and what action has been taken against the perpetrators of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in Myanmar.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has played a leading role in co-ordinating international efforts on Rakhine. We have raised Burma three times at the UN Security Council (UNSC) since the most recent outbreak of violence on 25 August. On 13 September we secured the first agreed UNSC press elements on Burma in eight years. The Security Council also discussed Burma in an open session on 28 September.
The UN Security Council has called for the Burmese authorities to stop the violence and allow humanitarian access. The voluntary and safe return of refugees is a central part of the ongoing discussions in which we are engaged at the UN Security Council.
The UK continues to call for an end to the violence, and to prevent escalation, irrespective of whether incidents fit the definition of specific international crimes.
We shall continue to keep up the pressure on Burma's government to send a clear message to their security forces to stop the violence, ensure a full investigation of allegations of human rights violations, full access to the UN Fact Finding Mission and commit to ensuring accountability for the perpetrators.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any British citizens were victims of the terrorist attack in Mogadishu on 14 October.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No British nationals have been confirmed dead in the terrorist attack on 14 October 2017. Three British nationals were known by the Foreign Office to be injured.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the severing of relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in June, whether they have held discussions with the governments of those states about the possibility of resuming diplomatic relations; and if so, what was the outcome of those discussions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to hold discussions with all parties in the dispute. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and other ministers have all spoken to their counterparts, calling for a de-escalation, the lifting of the current restrictions, and encouraging them to get behind Kuwait’s mediation efforts. We have made clear that Gulf unity matters to the security and stability of the region.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Myanmar regarding the recent violence against the Rohingya community.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the recent outbreak of violence in Rakhine State, the Foreign Secretary has twice spoken with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and has raised our concerns. Our Ambassador in Rangoon has also raised our concerns with the Burmese authorities. We convened discussions on Burma at the UN Security Council on 30 August and 13 September. The Foreign Secretary convened a meeting of foreign ministers at the UN on 18 September during which he called on the Burmese National Security Adviser and Deputy Foreign Minister present to heed the Security Council’s call to stop the violence and ensure full humanitarian access in northern Rakhine.Our High Commissioner in Dhaka has discussed the situation with the Government of Bangladesh.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are contributing funds from the UK development aid budget towards the cost of training the Myanmar military; and if so, how much.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No UK development aid is used to fund the educational courses focused on governance, accountability, ethics, human rights and international law which we provide to the Burmese military. These courses are funded from the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the human rights situation in Arakan state in Myanmar; and what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar regarding reports of the killing of Rohingya Muslims.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK Government is concerned by a number of disturbing recent reports of human rights violations by security forces in Rakhine State. We have made several representations to the government of Burma calling for humanitarian access both through our Ambassador and also through Ministerial contacts. When I visited Burma from 9-12 November, I urged Burmese Government Ministers to set up a full and independent investigation into all reports of human rights violations. The Investigation Commission has now been established and will report back by 31 January 2017. We will continue to monitor its progress closely.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of the use of high-powered pellet guns against civilian protesters in Kashmir by Indian forces; and what representations they have made to the government of India regarding this issue.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma) discussed the use of pellet guns and alternative methods of crowd control in India administered Kashmir with Indian Government representatives in October. The government of India has been reviewing the use of pellet guns in Kashmir. It has yet to make the review's conclusions public, but there are reports that alternative methods of crowd control will be introduced. The UK abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. We engage with India on human rights matters and will continue to work collaboratively on the promotion and protection of human rights.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of India concerning recent reports of arrests, killings and human right abuses in Kashmir.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware and concerned by reports of human rights abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir. Any allegation of human rights abuse in any country should be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently.