Asked by: David Ward (Liberal Democrat - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what review of his Department's co-operation with Burma's Home Affairs Ministry has been conducted.
Answered by Lord Swire
There has been no review of our cooperation with Burma’s Home Ministry.
Asked by: David Ward (Liberal Democrat - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of whether elections due in Burma will be credible, free and fair.
Answered by Lord Swire
The 2015 parliamentary elections will be a watershed for Burma’s transition to democracy. They have the prospect to be the first legitimate elections since 1960. We have made clear to the Burmese government that we want to see inclusive and credible elections, underpinned by freedom of expression and a respect for human rights. The UK is taking steps to support the integrity of the electoral process. The Department for International Development has allocated around £25m over five years to strengthen democratic governance, including support to the elections. UK funding will support the provision of technical advice to the Burmese election commission, voter education and monitoring and observation of the electoral process.
Dialogue between the key political actors will be critical to ensuring a successful outcome to the election. We encourage all of the main parties to maintain regular discussions in advance of the vote, to ensure a smooth process and a smooth succession to whatever government emerges in the next Parliament.
Asked by: David Ward (Liberal Democrat - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government first became aware that Philip Blackwood, who is in custody in Burma, is a British citizen.
Answered by Lord Swire
The New Zealand Embassy in Burma made our Embassy in Rangoon aware of Mr Philip Blackwood’s case in 2014. They confirmed that Mr Blackwood travelled to the country on a New Zealand passport and they were providing consular assistance.
We have not been given any information indicating that Mr Blackwood is a British national and Mr Blackwood has not approached our Embassy for assistance.
Asked by: David Ward (Liberal Democrat - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to government and opposition in Bangladesh to help address the constitutional crisis in that country.
Answered by Lord Swire
We are deeply concerned by the ongoing violence and political unrest in Bangladesh. We continue to call on all Bangladesh’s political parties to take the confidence-building measures necessary to stop the violence and ensure an inclusive and participatory political process.
I raised my concerns about the violence and shrinking of democratic space in Bangladesh with Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, the Bangladesh Parliament Speaker, during her visit to the UK on 9 March. I also raised these concerns, not least the reported office confinement of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Leader Khaleda Zia, when I met the Bangladesh Law Minister on 20 January 2015. I made a public statement reiterating these messages on 5 March. We are also encouraging the UN and others in the international community to play an active role.