Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to appeal to the Government of Burma on the (a) release of Lahpi Gam on medical grounds and (b) medical care required by that prisoner.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We remain concerned about Lahpi Gam's ongoing detention and by reports of his poor physical health. In 2013, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention opined that his imprisonment constituted arbitrary detention and raised a number of concerns about the fairness of his trial. We regularly raise our concerns regarding political prisoners with the Burmese authorities.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to resolve the escalation in conflict in Kachin and northern Shan States, Burma, and the displacement of several thousands of civilians in that area.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We have been a consistent supporter of Burma's peace process, aimed at ending the long-running conflict between the military and the ethnic armed groups. This includes practical support delivered through both the multi-donor Joint Peace Fund and the Peace Support Fund, as well as technical advice and expertise. The UK has provided over £18.1 million in essential humanitarian and health assistance in Kachin and Northern Shan states from 2012 until the end of last financial year, and will provide approximately a further £5 million this year.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to press for humanitarian access to Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan States, Burma; and what the results have been of any such diplomatic actions take to date.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We are deeply concerned by continuing restrictions on humanitarian access to Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan States. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, visited Burma from 9-12 November and urged Burmese Government Ministers to ensure the full resumption of humanitarian aid and to set up an independent investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Rakhine. I also raised this in person with the Burmese Minister of Construction, when he visited London, on 29 November. The UK has long been one of the biggest humanitarian donors to Burma and to Rakhine State, providing over £23 million in humanitarian assistance to Rakhine since 2012. The Government of Burma has committed to restoring humanitarian access. In practice, worrying restrictions remain and we, together with other countries and the UN, will continue to monitor developments closely and to raise our concerns at every opportunity.
For Kachin and Northern Shan we continue to raise with the Government of Burma the restriction of humanitarian access to internally displaced people. Baroness Anelay discussed this with the Burmese Minister for Defence during her visit. The UK has provided over £18.1 million in essential humanitarian and health assistance in Kachin and Northern Shan states from 2012 until the end of last financial year, and will provide a further £5 million approximately this year. We continue to provide political and practical support to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's 'Panglong' peace initiative, which successfully brought together the main players last year, in a bid to end this long-running internal conflict.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the humanitarian and human rights situation in Rakhine State, Burma.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We remain deeply concerned by the humanitarian and human rights situation in Rakhine. We are particularly concerned by reports from a range of human rights organisations of human rights violations by the security forces following the attack on border posts on 9 October, and the subsequent security response to these attacks. We are also concerned about the humanitarian impact if aid is not resumed quickly, particularly impacting those already affected by malnutrition. We have made several representations to the government of Burma and called for humanitarian access both through our Ambassador and also through Ministerial contacts. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, visited Burma from 9-12 November and urged Burmese Government Ministers to ensure the full resumption of humanitarian aid and to set up an independent investigation into allegations of human rights violations. I also raised this in person with the Burmese Minister of Construction, when he visited London, on 29 November. We will continue to monitor developments closely and to raise our concerns at every opportunity.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he will be raising the case of Andargachew Tsege on his next visit to Ethiopia.
Answered by James Duddridge
The Government takes the detention and welfare of Mr Andargachew Tsege very seriously. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised Mr Tsege’s case with the Ethiopian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister during his visit to Ethiopia on 1 June 2016. The Foreign Secretary received assurances that Mr Tsege will be allowed access to independent legal advice to allow him to discuss options under the Ethiopian legal system. We will continue to press the Ethiopians as necessary, including during any future Ministerial visits, to ensure that Mr Tsege has legal representation. During the visit, the Foreign Secretary despatched a senior Foreign Office official, travelling with him, to visit Mr Tsege in prison.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a Minister from his Department plans to attend the high-level meeting on global responsibility sharing through pathways for admission of Syrian refugees hosted by UNHRC in Geneva on 30 March 2016.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
No Foreign Office Minister is planning to attend this meeting. We understand that a Home Office Minister is considering attendance and will make a decision in the coming weeks.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will update its travel checklist to include advice and warnings about the danger posed by carbon monoxide when travelling abroad.
Answered by James Duddridge
While the number of consular cases involving British nationals affected by carbon monoxide poisoning overseas is low, this remains a concern. The travel industry has an important role to play in addressing this issue, including through communications, although care must be taken to ensure the onus is not placed entirely on the traveller. Holiday providers should provide a safe environment without requiring holidaymakers to, for example, carry carbon monoxide alarms. In the UK, the energy industry is providing important advice to the public on carbon monoxide poisoning through its ‘Be Alarmed’ campaign. Our foreign travel checklist on the GOV.UK website signposts travellers to their advice.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will request the government of Burma to release former monk U Gambira from custody.
Answered by Lord Swire
We are aware of the arrest of U Gambira, a well known political activist and former political prisoner, on 19 January, for alleged immigration offences. Our Embassy in Rangoon is following the case closely. The UK regularly raises our concern over political prisoners with the government of Burma, both publicly and privately. Most recently our Embassy in Rangoon issued a statement on 25 January calling for the government of Burma to ensure that all remaining political prisoners are released. We remain concerned that some 78 remain incarcerated, and will continue to raise this with the Burmese authorities.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the establishment of a full, international, independent investigation by the UN into claims of genocide against the Rohingya in Burma.
Answered by Lord Swire
The UK deplores the treatment of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, who are subject to persecution and denied the most basic rights. We welcome the work of the highly effective UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, who has shone a spotlight on violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine. She has not characterised the treatment of the Rohingya as genocide, and neither did the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in his 4 November statement on Burma’s elections. However, any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. A UN investigation would require high level international support for which, we assess, there is little prospect of agreement at this stage. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, irrespective of whether or not they fit the definition of specific international crimes. I and other British Government Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the situation of the Rohingya. I did this with senior Burmese Ministers during my visit to Burma in July, when I travelled to Rakhine State for the second time. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. After the 8 November elections, the UK will continue our efforts to address the serious ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the proposed permanent nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 would permit the IAEA to conduct anytime, anywhere inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
A comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran must include robust monitoring of Iran’s nuclear activities, and Iran’s implementation of its Additional Protocol which provides for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to nuclear facilities. Full implementation of the Additional Protocol under a comprehensive agreement is vital in order to reassure the international community that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran must include robust monitoring of Iran’s nuclear activities, and Iran’s implementation of its Additional Protocol which provides for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to nuclear facilities. Full implementation of the Additional Protocol under a comprehensive agreement is vital in order to reassure the international community that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.