Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Myanmar and (b) Bangladeshi counterpart on the safe repatriation of the Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are clear that any repatriation of refugees must be safe, voluntary, dignified and meet international humanitarian principles and standards. We agree with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that the conditions for such repatriation do not yet exist in Rakhine.
Following recent reports of potential repatriations, we worked closely with the UNHCR, and engaged with the Governments in Bangladesh and Myanmar to underline that returns must be safe, voluntary and dignified. We welcome Bangladesh's continued commitment to the principle of voluntariness and note Myanmar's acknowledgement that some Rohingya have a right to return. We will continue to make representations to the Governments of both Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bangladeshi counterpart on reported protests and clashes between garment factory workers and police forces in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
To date I have not made representations to the Government of Bangladesh regarding protests by garment factory workers or their clashes with police. Officials at our High Commission in Dhaka continue to monitor the situation, and reports of violence are concerning. Bangladesh remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and freedom of expression, including the freedom of assembly, is a key concern. I raised more general concerns regarding freedom of expression in Bangladesh with Information Minister Tarana Halim on 14 December. The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns regarding freedom of expression with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 24 September 2018 at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many independent election observers (a) his Department and (b) other nations provided for the general election in Bangladesh; and what assessment he has made of the legitimacy of that election.
Answered by Mark Field
In partnership with USAID and the Swiss Development Cooperation, the Department for International Development supported a total of 4542 domestic observers deployed during the Bangladesh Election. The EU sent a two person Election Expert Mission. The Government of Bangladesh refused permission for deployment of 9300 observers from 15 NGOs. On 1 January I released a statement expressing my concern about the conduct of the Bangladesh general election. There have been numerous credible allegations of irregularities, blocks on proper observation and the intimidation of voters. I repeated my concerns regarding the election to the Bangladesh High Commissioner when we met on 10 January. I have urged the Government of Bangladesh to carry out a full, credible and transparent resolution of all complaints related to the conduct of the elections.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to raise concerns with the Israeli Government on the imminent demolition of Khan al-Ahmar.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We have raised concerns with the Israeli authorities at senior levels, including with the Israeli Prime Minister and Israeli Attorney General, urging them not to go ahead with their plan to demolish the village. Officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem continue to visit Khan al-Ahmar, most recently on 18 December. The same day, our Permanent Representative to the UN made clear during a UN Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East that "we welcome the temporary postponement of plans to demolish the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar but we remain gravely concerned about the fate of this community. The United Nations has said this demolition could amount to forcible transfer in violation of International Humanitarian Law. As I’ve said before in this Chamber, the Israel Government is not obligated to demolish Khan al-Ahmar. It has the power to change its mind and we urge it to do so”.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effects of Israel’s settlement expansion on the welfare Palestinian refugees in the West Bank.
Answered by Alistair Burt
I issued a statement on 27 December expressing our disappointment in the latest announcement by the Government of Israel to advance over 2,800 housing units in settlements in the West Bank. Such actions are illegal under international law and call into question Israel’s commitment to any future peace agreement with the Palestinians. We strongly urge Israel to cease such actions. We regularly raise our grave concerns on this issue with the Government of Israel and urge it to reverse its policy of settlement expansion.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the Government of Israel (a) ending forcible transfer in its planning policies and (b) amending planning legislation to ensure planning and construction rights for Palestinian residents in the West Bank and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is gravely concerned by Israeli proposals to relocate Palestinian and Bedouin populations, which the UN has said could constitute forcible transfer. We have been clear about our grave concerns with the Israeli authorities and we regularly raise the matter through our Embassy in Tel Aviv. We recognise that Palestinians face severe difficulty in securing building permissions for homes and infrastructure in East Jerusalem and Area C. We continue to urge the Israeli authorities to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Palestinian children subjected to military detention in the last five years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
While we have not made an overall estimate of the number of Palestinian children subjected to military detention in the last five years, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual Human Rights and Democracy report routinely lists the number of minors held in Israeli military detention. According to the 2017 report, there were approximately 358 minors detained as of the end of 2017.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken return the UK lawyer delegation to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to assess the military detention of Palestinian children in the absence of an offer by the Israeli Government to facilitate that contact.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention remains a human rights priority for the UK. We will continue to call upon Israel to improve its practices in line with international law and obligations. We have offered to help the Israeli authorities through expert-to-expert talks with UK officials. The offer still stands and we hope Israel will take us up on it. While we recognise that Israel has made some improvements, it needs to do much more to safeguard vulnerable people in its care.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the Bangladesh Government on ensuring freedom to (a) campaign and (b) assemble in advance of the parliamentary elections in that country.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government has been consistently clear that we wish to see a free, fair and pluralistic election in Bangladesh. I have repeatedly encouraged the Government of Bangladesh and opposition parties to engage in an effective dialogue to this end. Through our High Commission in Dhaka we have been clear that the Election Commission should be allowed to continue its important work, including the registration of voters, without inteference. We have consistently made the case for international oversight of the election and the EU has agreed to send an Election Expert Mission. Through the Department for International Development funding, the UK will also support local observation of the general election.
The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns regarding the next election in Bangladesh with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when they met at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September. In a call on 1 November with State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, I again made the case for a free, fair and participatory election. Allowing freedom of expression and freedom of assembly is an integral aspect of this, and through our High Commission in Dhaka the UK continues to make its concerns heard regarding freedom of expression in Bangladesh.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) international oversight by observers and (b) the accuracy of the voter registration database in relation to parliamentary elections in Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government has been clear that we want to see a free, fair and pluralistic election in Bangladesh and I have repeatedly encouraged the Government of Bangladesh and opposition parties to engage in an effective dialogue to this end. Through our High Commission in Dhaka we have been clear that the Election Commission should be allowed to continue its important work, including the registration of voters, without interference. We have consistently made the case for international oversight of the election and the EU has agreed to send an Election Expert Mission. Through the Department for International Development funding, the UK will also support local observation of the general election.
The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns regarding the next election in Bangladesh with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when they met at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September. In a call on 1 November with State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, I again made the case for a free, fair and participatory election. Allowing freedom of expression and freedom of assembly is an integral aspect of this, and through our High Commission in Dhaka the UK continues to make its concerns heard regarding freedom of expression in Bangladesh.