answer text |
<p>The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip
(Boris Johnson), raised two areas of human rights concern during his visit to Burma
on 20-21 January. On <strong>Rakhine,</strong> he raised concerns about human rights
violations with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and with military-appointed Government
Ministers; he stressed the need for a smarter security approach, full humanitarian
access and the importance of ending discrimination against the Rohingyas. <strong>On
Kachin and Shan</strong> states, he pressed for the military to de-escalate the fighting
and remove barriers to humanitarian access. The Foreign Secretary also raised the
case of the two detained <strong>Kachin pastors</strong>, Dumdaw Nawng Lat and Langjaw
Gam Seng, in his meeting with the Home Affairs Minister.</p><p>The UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights has already issued a substantive report on the abuses carried out
by the military in Rakhine State since 9 October. The UN Special Rapporteur on the
Situation of Human Rights in Burma is also due to issue a full report in March ahead
of the UN Human Rights Council.</p><p>In the light of the two reports we will consider,
with our EU and international partners, what scope there is for further enhancing
scrutiny of the military's actions in Rakhine</p><p>We also continue to support the
Rakhine Advisory Commission led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, which is
due to report in the summer. This has the support of the Burmese Government and the
international community, and represents the most realistic prospect for securing progress
in Rakhine State.</p>
|
|