§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the relationship between his Department and the Burmese Government: and what recent discussions they have had about(a) the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and (b) human rights abuses against minority groups. [130300]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe UK has made numerous representations to the Burmese authorities concerning the arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. I personally have spoken to the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister and most recently the Burmese ambassador on 1 September, to register the UK's grave concern over the unacceptable violence and repression that has been inspired, organised and carried out by the military regime. This has been supplemented by representations784W by the British embassy in Rangoon who have been instrumental in pressing for and supporting demarches to the Burmese regime, including on human rights abuses against the ethnic groups.