§ Mr. BestTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international action he will propose to bring about democracy and human rights in Burma. [144326]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienA number of countries including Burma, France, Germany and ASEAN members met on 15 December in Bangkok at the invitation of the Thai Government. We understand that Burma objected to Britain attending because we were strongly critical of the regime. The aim of the meeting was to see if there was a realistic prospect of a roadmap toward democracy and reconciliation.
We have regularly discussed Burma with our international partners, including what possible further measures we may take if the regime continues to thwart the democratic rights of the Burmese people. I hope to meet Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai on 18 December to discuss the 15 December meeting and how we can take matters forward. We will also continue to work with our EU partners through the UN. ILO and other international fora to put pressure on the Burmese regime to fully release Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy colleagues and, together with the ethnic groups, begin a genuine dialogue leading to democratic change and national reconciliation.