Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effect on the (a) physical security and (b) security of rights of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh of any return to Myanmar within the next two months.

The UK has been clear that it is essential that the Rohingya refugees be able to return safely, voluntarily and in dignity to their homes in Burma. I underlined the requirement for refugees to be secure on return to Rakhine in ​meetings with Burma's Minister of Defence, its Deputy Foreign Minister, and Aung Sun Suu Kyi's Chief of Staff on 20 and 21 November.

The UK proposed and secured unanimous support for a UN Security Council presidential Statement on 6 November which urged the Government of Burma to ensure the voluntary return of all refugees in conditions of safety and dignity to their homes, and equal access to full citizenship for all individuals. It also called on the Burmese authorities to ensure the promotion and protection of human rights, freedom of movement, equal access to basic services, and equal access to full citizenship for all individuals.

On 24 November a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that conditions in Rakhine State were not in place to enable safe and sustainable returns. The Government will continue to monitor these conditions in cooperation with the UN and international partners to ensure that any implementation of the Burma-Bangladesh refugee return agreement guarantees the physical security and security of rights of the returning Rohingya refugee returns.