Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the imprisonment of three Kachin activists in Burma for six months for peaceful protest and calling for humanitarian assistance for civilians trapped in the conflict in northern Burma.

Our Ambassador to Burma met Zau Jat, Nang Pu and Lum Zawng during his more recent visit to Kachin in early December 2018. They had organised public demonstrations in Myitkyina under the banner of the 'Kachin Youth Movement' and held a press conference calling for an end to the conflict and escape routes for civilians. Following their 7 December conviction on the charge of defamation of the Burmese military, the Minister for Asia and the Pacific and our Embassy in Burma issued statements expressing deep concern and disappointment, and urging the Burmese authorities to protect freedom of speech in line with international norms.