Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of restrictions on media freedom in Burma; and what steps they have taken to address with the government of Burma concerns about violations of freedom of expression and press freedom in that country.

The British Government has been a consistent and vocal advocate of democratic freedoms in Burma, including freedom of expression. The Ambassador to Burma met the Burmese Attorney-General on 9 August and made clear that freedom of the media was a vital safeguard in a democracy, and that the law should protect journalists rather than punish them for doing their jobs. The Foreign Secretary called for the release of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo in his meeting with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 20 September.