Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Burma.

Burma has made considerable strides forward on human rights since State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi came to power in April 2016. The new Burmese Government has released over 300 political prisoners, begun to abolish draconian laws, initiated a peace process to resolve the long-running internal conflict, and established a new Rakhine Advisory Commission led by Kofi Annan. Despite this progress, we continue to have a number of concerns about human rights. We are concerned by reports of violations in Northern Shan and Kachin involving civilian casualties and the restriction of humanitarian access to internally displaced people. We are also concerned by the ongoing persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State and allegations of human rights abuses in the security response to the 9 October attacks on Border Guard Police posts in northern Rakhine. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE, visited Burma from 9-12 November specifically to address issues of human rights, with a focus on the prevention of sexual violence in conflict.