§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of(a) the treatment of the Karen in Burma and (b) landmines in the Karen region. [78702]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienI have been asked to reply.
Ethnic minorities, including the Karen, suffer disproportionately from the human rights abuses carried out by the Burmese regime. Continued fighting between the Burmese army and armed Karen groups, which includes the use of mines by both sides, is the cause of on-going suffering among the ordinary people in Karen State.
HMG provides humanitarian assistance to Burmese refugees and those internally displaced, including the Karen.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions her Department has had with the Government of Burma. [78703]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienI have been asked to reply.
The European Union ban on high-level contact with Burma and our poor bilateral relationship with the Burmese military regime restrict discussions with the Burmese regime. Contact on important issues does continue. The most recent example of bilateral contact was discussions between embassy officials and Burmese officials regarding the International Code of Conduct against ballistic missile proliferation.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the UN about human rights violations in Burma. [78704]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienI have been asked to reply.
We have on-going dialogue with the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma and the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Burma about human rights abuses in Burma. Together with our European Union partners we annually co-sponsor resolutions on the human rights situation in Burma at both the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.