§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have information that the Burmese military are committing against the Karen, Karenni and Shan people in Burma any or all of the following 152WA crimes under international law: crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide; and what reasons they have for their conclusions. [HL3652]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)We are aware that appalling human rights violations have taken place against the Karen, Karenni and Shan people in Burma over many years. We take into account the views of appropriate international bodies. However, we need verification of crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide in Burma before using such terms. The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Sergio Pinheiro, has regular access to Burma, most recently on 17 March 2003. I understand he takes the view that he will not use these terms to describe the situation there. The terms have likewise not been used by many major international NGOs, which monitor the human rights situation in Burma. There is room for debate about the use of particular words in different contexts but what matters in this case is that we all agree that the behaviour of the Burmese regime has been appalling and involved widespread killing and breaches of human rights.