Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which of the 16 people from Burma who appear on the UK Government’s sanctions list have had their assets frozen by the UK Government.

Across two financial sanctions regimes, the UK has targeted sanctions in place on 16 individuals from Myanmar for their role in atrocities against Rohingya and other minorities. These sanctions place obligations on those who hold or control assets to freeze the assets in place. Funds and economic resources must be frozen immediately by the person in possession or control of them. An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they confiscated by the UK Government.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury, publishes details of frozen assets reported to it in its Annual Review. However this figure is provided on an aggregate basis so as not to disclose the value of funds held by particular individuals, in compliance with data protection law.