§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of ethnic cleansing by the SPDC of minority groups in areas of Burma closed to monitors for security reasons. [109095]
178W
§ Mr. BattleWe continue to receive disturbing reports of human rights violations against ethnic minorities from many parts of Burma. These violations include arbitrary killings, rape, torture, mass arrests, forced labour and forced relocations. We take every opportunity to condemn these violations: for example, the UK co-sponsored the UN General Assembly resolution adopted last November which contains strong condemnation of the appalling catalogue of human rights violations in Burma, including against ethnic minorities. We continue to make regular representations to the regime on this issue.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take to promote the long-term safety of the(a) Karen, (b) Chin, (c) Kavenni and (d) other minority tribes in their homelands in Burma. [109096]
§ Mr. BattleWe take every opportunity to raise with the Burmese authorities our concerns about the violations of human rights of ethnic minorities, including the Karen people. We support the work of the UN agencies. such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' work on Burma's Western border and UN Development Programme's projects in ethnic minority areas all over Burma. We also support the international non-governmental organisations working under difficult conditions in many of the ethnic minority areas. In Thailand, we provide humanitarian assistance through the Burma Border Consortium (£270,000 this calendar year). We continue to encourage political dialogue between the Burmese regime and democratic leaders, including ethnic minorities.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the SPDC calling for it to open up all areas of Burma to human rights monitors and humanitarian aid workers. [109097]
§ Mr. BattleThe SPDC have persistently refused any visit to Burma by Judge Lallah, the present UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights. We have co-sponsored resolutions both at the UN Commission on Human Rights and at the UN General Assembly expressing concern at this lack of co-operation. Several UN agencies and international non-governmental organisations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, are in Burma doing excellent work, but some parts of Burma are not accessible to them, largely because of civil unrest due to the regime's continued oppression of ethnic minorities. We deplore this oppression and call on the regime to enter into a dialogue with democratic groups, including ethnic minorities, to resolve Burma's political impasse.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to ensure that the minority tribes in Burma are not subjected to forced labour. [109098]
§ Mr. BattleForced labour is one of the key areas of concern in Burma. We condemn it wherever it occurs. A report by the International Labour Organisation in 1998 highlighted the use of forced labour in Burma and made three recommendations for the regime to implement: to stop forced labour; to penalise those who exact it; and to amend Burmese legislation. So far, these 179W recommendations have not been adopted. Until they are, we will continue to maintain pressure in the ILO, and will raise this subject again at the March Governing Body.