Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 12 June, what assessment they have made of claims that the lack of international action taken against Burmese military leaders in response to the Rohingya crisis has emboldened them to escalate violence against Christians and other religious minority groups in Myanmar; whether they plan to make a public statement of support for a UN mandated global arms embargo against Myanmar; and whether they plan to support any targeted financial sanctions and travel restrictions against members of the Burmese military.

Since the Burmese military’s operations in Rakhine in August and September 2017, the UK has secured: EU agreement to introduce new sanctions targeting individual Burmese military commanders responsible for clearance operations in Rakhine; a strengthened EU Arms Embargo; and a UN Security Council Presidential Statement calling for Burma to hold to account those responsible for human rights violations in Rakhine State. The Government continues to assess that there is insufficient support at present for a UN Security Council Resolution instituting a global arms embargo for Burma.

The UK has made clear its deep concern about the resumption of hostilities in Kachin, Shan and Karen States in recent months and called for Burma’s military to exercise restraint, including in the Foreign Secretary’s call with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 11 June and the British Ambassador’s meeting with Burma’s Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing on 3 May.