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.
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, whether the government of Burma has taken steps to implement the declaration to end sexual violence which it signed in June 2014.
Answered by Lord Swire
While we welcomed the Burmese government’s endorsement of the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict and attendance at the Global Summit in June 2014, their implementation of the commitments contained within it has been limited.
We continue to raise the issue of sexual violence with the Burmese government, as I did I when I met Deputy Foreign Minister U Thant Kyaw in June 2014. Most recently, my Right Hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), in her capacity as Champion for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, discussed sexual violence with senior members of the Burmese government and civil society during her visit to Burma in January.
While there have been some developments, such as the conviction in a civilian court last year of a Burmese soldier for the rape of a minor, there is much more that can and should be done. We continue to encourage the Burmese government to take concrete action, by strengthening legislation, reducing impunity for perpetrators, and improving access to justice for survivors.
The Declaration also commits the international community to support conflict-affected states in strengthening their capacity to prevent and respond to sexual violence in conflict. The UK has allocated over £300,000 to projects doing this in Burma. The prevention of sexual violence in conflict is also a key element of our defence engagement with Burma and is included, along with the importance of human rights and the rule of law, in any education courses we deliver to the military in Burma.
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, if he will make representations to the Burmese government on the implications for that country's international legal obligations of the internment of Rohingya people who do not meet that country's citizenship criteria.
Answered by Lord Swire
We have raised our concern at the issues surrounding the Rohingya community in all of our recent Ministerial contacts with the Burmese government. Most recently, I discussed this with the Minister for Immigration and the Rakhine Chief Minister during their visit to the UK in October. We have been clear in our communications with the Burmese government that we expect them to adhere to their international human rights obligations regarding the treatment and welfare of those that do not meet the country’s citizenship criteria. While we welcome the limited citizenship verification in Taungpaw for internally displaced people that has seen some individuals from the Rohingya community granted citizenship status, we continue to urge the Burmese authorities to follow a transparent, inclusive and consistent process in establishing the status of inhabitants of Rakhine State. We are also clear that, regardless of citizenship status, the human rights of all individuals in Rakhine must be fully respected.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 steps HM Embassy in Bangkok is taking to retrieve the passport of Andy Hall.
Answered by Lord Swire
If Mr Hall needs to use his passport to travel overseas it is possible for him/his lawyer to apply to the court for “international bail” which, if agreed, would enable Mr Hall's lawyer to retrieve his passport for him to use, subject to any conditions that the court might set.
If Mr Hall does not wish to apply for international bail and wishes to apply for a replacement passport instead, we must first of all make a formal request to the court for the return of his original passport. If we do not receive Mr Hall's passport, or a response from the authorities, within ten days, we would discuss with Mr Hall his options for obtaining a replacement passport. However, an approach by the Embassy to the Court in this way might result in Mr Hall's bail being revoked. If Mr Hall asked us to do this, we would request that he sign a pro-forma acknowledging that the consequences of applying for a new passport have been explained to him. We have also asked Mr Hall to bear in mind that the Courts may have placed some sort of immigration stop/block against his name/passport number (or might do so upon receipt of a letter from the Embassy asking for the return of his passport), and so even if Mr Hall did get his current passport back, or obtain a new passport, he may not be able to leave Thailand on it. Mr Hall has also been advised to consult his lawyer about these issues.
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 progress he has made in ensuring that Palestinian children are interrogated only in the presence of their parents and lawyers.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Mr Grayling), raised the treatment of child detainees with the Israeli Supreme Court President during his visit to Israel in May.
As a recent progress report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) indicates, Israel has taken some positive steps towards addressing the recommendations in UNICEF's Children in Israeli Military Detention report. These include the introduction of legal obligations to inform the child's parents of an arrest and grant them legal status to be represented in court, as well as to notify minors of their legal rights, and standard operating procedures on methods of restraint. We will continue to work, both through bilateral engagement and through the EU, to encourage Israel to take further positive steps.