Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, what advice the UK Government provides to British companies on entering into business relationships with the Burmese military.

We offer advice and support on working with responsible local partners and encourage all British companies to undertake their own due diligence on any investment projects. We continue to work with trusted organisations, such as the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, to encourage businesses in Myanmar, including UK businesses, to invest responsibly and conduct appropriate due diligence.

Decisions to enter business relationships are the responsibility of the company , as is ensuring they are legally compliant.

As the recent UN Fact Finding Mission report sets out, the Myanmar Military and companies linked to it are entrenched across the economy. Some of the relationships are opaque, and being clear about the precise details of ownership of a company or infrastructure is sometimes very difficult. Following the publication of the UN Fact Finding Mission report, the British Embassy has met regularly with British companies and stressed the importance of undertaking robust due diligence.