§ Mr. BestTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Thai authorities about conditions for displaced Burmese minorities resident in refugee camps in Thailand. [132251]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe Thai authorities have a long record of providing safe haven for those fleeing persecution by the Burmese regime. The British embassy in Bangkok and EU colleagues are in regular contact with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and the Thai authorities, to encourage them to ensure Burmese refugees are treated with compassion. I discussed Burma in broad terms with Thai Foreign Minister Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai when he visited London at the beginning of July and again on the way to the Bali ASEM conference of the same month. We have been in regular telephone contact since. In March 2003, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Development (Sally Keeble) visited the refugee camp at Mae La.