Burma: Human Rights (Hansard, 13 May 2004)

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)
My Lords, we remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Burma and, in particular, that affecting ethnic groups. The UK co-sponsored a widely supported resolution at the UN Commission on Human Rights on 21 April that condemned human rights violations suffered by ethnic groups in Burma. We fully support the efforts of Sergio Pinheiro, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Burma, and have called on the SPDC to co-operate fully with him and allow him to visit Burma regularly.

§ Baroness Cox
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply, which gives considerable encouragement to the ethnic national groups. However, is she aware that, in two recent visits, I have seen the plight of many thousands of people from those ethnic national groups, such as the Karen, the Karenni, the Shan and the Chin peoples? They are forced to hide in the jungle with no access to shelter, medical care or food, having been forced to flee from their villages because of continuing atrocities by government soldiers, such as torture, rape, murder and forced labour. Can the noble Baroness say whether Her Majesty's Government will consult those ethnic groups with a view to providing humanitarian assistance to those internally displaced people, who are suffering and dying with no aid whatever?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I am particularly aware of what is happening to these ethnic groups because I have read the noble Baroness's report. which she kindly circulated following her most recent visit. A terrible situation is, indeed, affecting the Karen and Karenni. Approximately 140,000 refugees—mostly Karen and Karenni—are living in camps on the Thai/Burmese border and many more— up to 1 million, I understand—are living as illegal immigrants in Thailand.
We are the largest EU donor of humanitarian assistance to Burma, and we want to ensure that any humanitarian assistance is properly targeted. One problem that we have at present is that of entering the 382 areas to ensure that any money that is donated particularly to those groups goes where it is intended. I take the noble Baroness's point that these groups are in particular need, but I hope she will also understand our concern that it should be made absolutely clear that money meant for those groups reaches them. That is why my opening Answer placed so much emphasis on ensuring that the UN rapporteur accesses the right areas, as that will enable us to obtain a clearer picture. I hope that there will be a developing dialogue on this issue.

§ Lord Avebury
My Lords, is the noble Baroness aware that none of the three bodies charged with reconvening the national conference, which was adjourned in 1996 and is due to meet for the first time on Monday, contains representatives from the ethnic minorities, or of the NLD for that matter') Will minority delegates to the convention be chosen by the ethnic minorities themselves, as they hoped when they met the UN special envoy? And will they be able to discuss the incorporation of rights into the proposed constitution, enshrining rights of ethnic minority civilians, to prevent the abuses which have taken place by the military, as mentioned by the noble Baroness? Those abuses include rapes, torture, murder, forced relocations and confiscation of property, and were cited by the US representative at the recent meeting of the Commission on Human Rights.

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, my short answer to the noble Lord's question, which is very sensible and properly directed. is that we shall not know what is going to happen until next Monday, when the convention reconvenes in order to draw up the new constitution for Burma. I understand that some of the ethnic groups have been approached, but the main body of exchange is between the regime and Aung San Suu Kyi's party. We do not know whether she will be invited to join the reconvened talks on Monday. As I understand it, a number of the ethnic groups are waiting to see what happens to Aung San Suu Kyi—that is, whether she is invited to join and whether she decides to take up that invitation—before they make their own decisions about joining the discussions.

§ Lord Alton of Liverpool
My Lords, will the Minister confirm that the meeting held in Rangoon in January between General Bo Mya, who is holder of the Burma Star and has led the Karen for the past 55 years, was at least a welcome first step and that we should do all that we can to encourage the process of dialogue and engagement? Will she also confirm that, if the military junta simply hand-picks representatives from the ethnic minorities, that will not secure a long-term peace? The figures with whom they engage must be legitimate and authentic, as in the case of General Bo Mya. Following my own visits to both sides of the Burma border and to the Karen camps, to which the noble Baroness, Lady Cox, referred, perhaps I may underline the importance of what she said to the House. Even though engagement and dialogue are taking place, the continuing scale of atrocities there 383 must not be overlooked. Rape continues to be used as a weapon of war, and the destruction of villages and the massive displacement of large numbers of internally displaced people continue.

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, the noble Lord is right, and the note of scepticism that he introduced is entirely proper and understandable. I thank him, as well as the noble Baroness, Lady Cox, for all the work that he has done. Of course, Her Majesty's Government are one of the strongest critics of human rights violations. We repeatedly raise our concerns about all types of human rights violations and about the consistent pattern of violations which have affected the different ethnic groups over many, many years.
The noble Lord is right to say that we are seeking a genuine process of exchange. Of course, we do not want the regime to hand-pick the people in the convention. The noble Lord, Lord Avebury, made the point that those people must be genuinely representative of their communities. We are sceptical about the regime's motives—there is no doubt about that. However, we have an avenue open and we should work to try to bring some influence to bear in the best way possible, as was the case in the discussions which took place in April, to which the noble Lord referred. During the course of the next couple of weeks, I believe that we shall be in a better position to make a judgment about whether this is a genuine initiative.

§ Lord Clarke of Hampstead
My Lords, will the Government consider urging the United Nations Security Council to impose an arms embargo on the regime in Burma?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I am afraid that this is one of those occasions when we come up against the difficulty posed by Security Council resolutions. As the noble Lord will know, they are not always easy to secure when some on the Security Council do not take the same view as we do. We have been able to make some progress in terms of General Assembly resolutions but, alas, not in terms of Security Council resolutions in the way that my noble friend indicated. That is not for want of trying behind the scenes. I assure my noble friend that we shall continue to do all that we can to draw the human rights violations in Burma to the attention of those on the Security Council who we believe should have a rather more robust attitude.

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, is Burma not more likely to be responsive to the views of ASEAN than to those of the United Nations? What are the Government doing to persuade ASEAN to express its views on this matter?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, we regularly raise our concerns on Burma with our Asian partners, and we try to encourage them to press for improvements in Burma's human rights record. Most 384 recently, my honourable friend Mike O'Brien did so at the Asia/Europe Meeting (ASEM) of Foreign Ministers, which took place in Kildare on 18 April. My honourable friend was able to issue a very forthright statement. He said: If the military regime can deliver what it purports to promise—to release the democratic opposition, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and to allow all parties to participate in a fully functioning and representative National Convention—these will be important steps towards national reconciliation". We are holding out for that possibility. However, as I said to the noble Lord, Lord Alton. let us not lose our healthy scepticism in view of what we all know has been the record of this regime.

§ Lord Hylton
My Lords—