§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will raise with the Government of Burma violations of religious liberty, including compulsory contributions by non-Buddhists to the construction of religious pagodas, the closure of Christian churches and the persecution of Muslims. [HL2877]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanWe are concerned about ethnic minority rights and the abuses suffered by ethnic groups in Burma which include Christians and Muslims.
Despite a background of general religious tolerance in most areas, there remain instances of restriction of the right to exercise freedom of religion. We have condemned this in successive highly critical UK and EU co-sponsored UN resolutions most recently at the UN Commission on Human Rights on 21 April. This expressed grave concern at discrimination and persecution on the basis of religious or ethnic background.