§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What information they have about (a) recent attacks by SLORC forces on the Karen areas of Burma, and (b) conditions in the relocation camps, reported to contain over 70,000 Karennis, and whether they will use their best endeavours to gain access to the Karen states and the Irawaddy Delta for human rights monitors.
§ Lord CheshamForces of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) are present in the Burmese/Thai border area and there are many reports of ethnic minority villagers being displaced and brutally treated. We understand that conditions in the relocation camps are often extremely unsatisfactory. The plight of ethnic minorities in Burma is a matter of deep concern to the Government, which we regularly raise with the Burmese authorities both bilaterally and in international fora. The issue was also highlighted in the tough UN General Assembly Resolution agreed at the end of November 1996, which we supported. We will continue to press for the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights to be allowed to visit Burma. We also continue to provide humanitarian aid to the region.