§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cost to public funds of the trip to Rangoon by Mr. Mike Cohen, head of export sales to Asia and the Pacific at the Department of Trade and Industry, in June; what was the purpose of this visit, and whether, in light of Amnesty International's report Myanmar: Renewed Repression, published on 10th July, they consider that trade links with Burma should be promoted with the aid of taxpayers' money.
§ Lord Fraser of CarmyllieMr. Cohen visited Rangoon in conjunction with a visit he needed to make to Thailand. The total cost of the visit was £5,191.87; the additional costs incurred in visiting Rangoon amounted to £114.58. The purpose of the visit was to gather information about the current market situation in Burma and the activities of our international competitors. The DTI has a responsibility to provide interested British companies with accurate information about the political and economic considerations of trading with Burma.