§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the imprisonment of James Mawdsley in Burma; and what representations he has made to the Burmese Government. [114379]
§ Mr. HainBritish Embassy officials have visited James six times. The last visit took place on 9 February. James has told us that he is well. Our Ambassador in Rangoon regularly raises James's case with the Burmese authorities, most recently with the Deputy Foreign Minister on 1 March. Baroness Scotland, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, also called in the Burmese Ambassador to express our concerns about the case in September 1999.
46WIn particular, we have protested about:
We will continue to do everything we can to help James. We are in frequent contact with his family.
- the failure of the Burmese authorities to inform us of his arrest;
- the delay over consular access;
- the denial of legal representation;
- the length of the sentence;
- mistreatment in prison;
- lack of access to reading and writing material;
- length of recreation time;
- delay in getting the trial transcript;
- delays in receiving food parcels, letters and books.
§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his latest assessment of the situation of James Mawdsley, imprisoned in Burma. [114006]
§ Mr. HainBritish Embassy officials have visited James six times. The most recent visit took place on 9 February. James has told us that he is well. We have raised with the Burmese authorities complaints he has had about his treatment.
We do not comment on the legal aspects of charges levelled against British nationals overseas. We do all we can to ensure they have access to legal representation and receive a fair trial.