§ Mr. GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to improve the conditions of ethnic minorities in Burma. [89937]
§ Mr. HoonWe take every opportunity to try to improve the conditions of ethnic minorities in Burma. We raise concerns both here and in Rangoon directly with the regime, most recently about repression in Kayah and Chin States. We are also active in international forums, for example co-sponsoring UN resolutions which put pressure on the regime to improve the human rights situation. We were instrumental in the adoption of a resolution by the International Labour Conference on 17 June which stated that Burma's behaviour, notably the continued use of forced labour (a major burden on ethnic minorities), was incompatible with ILO membership. And we support the work of the Burma Consortium for those who have fled regime repression.