§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what proportion of the courses run by the British military advisory team training Bangladeshi military personnel deal with human rights issues;
(2) what proportion of the total year's training provided by the British military mission in Dhaka is given over to human rights training;
(3) what training in human rights issues is included in the courses run by British military advisers for Bangladeshi military personnel;
(4) what emphasis in the training provided by the British military mission in Dhaka is placed on the responsibility of each individual member of the Bangladeshi armed forces to ensure that human rights are protected;
(5) to what extent the training programme provided by the British military mission in Dhaka deals with the various categories of human rights violations that have been alleged against the Bangladeshi security forces in the recent past; and whether the programme spells out the appropriate and internationally recognised minimum standards applicable in such situations.
§ Mr. Ian StewartThe British military advisory team in Bangladesh assists with military staff courses for all three services at the Bangladesh Defence Services Command and Staff College. The courses are not specifically directed at conditions in any one country: students from countries other than Bangladesh also attend the college. Although no specific training is given in human rights legislation, the courses include reference to the laws and conventions governing armed conflict and military aid to a civil power. The college training at all times emphasises high ethical standards in line with the British military tradition.