Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
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 the safe return of UK citizens in India who have been detained under coronavirus laws in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are aware that British Nationals have been detained across India for breaching coronavirus lockdown laws. One has since returned to the UK and we are in contact with all of the others. We have raised individual medical and welfare concerns with the Indian authorities. Following the conclusion of their legal cases, we will assist with their return to the UK.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
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 encourage the Burmese Government to adopt the recommendations made by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK continues to press the Burmese authorities to implement the Annan Commission recommendations, and has discussed the issue with international partners in various fora. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese National Security Adviser during his visit to London in March. We recognise that the Burmese Government has begun to respond to some of the recommendations but there is still much to be done. Through coordinated efforts at the United Nations, the UK has ensured a focus on Burma at the Security Council and Human Rights Council, including on the question of conditions in Rakhine. In January 2019 the Foreign Secretary discussed Burma with Foreign Minister Balakrishnan of Singapore; he has also met representatives of Non-Governmental Organisations working in Burma.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had on the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State with (a) UN officials, (b) NGOs and (c) counterparts from ASEAN nations.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK continues to press the Burmese authorities to implement the Annan Commission recommendations, and has discussed the issue with international partners in various fora. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese National Security Adviser during his visit to London in March. We recognise that the Burmese Government has begun to respond to some of the recommendations but there is still much to be done. Through coordinated efforts at the United Nations, the UK has ensured a focus on Burma at the Security Council and Human Rights Council, including on the question of conditions in Rakhine. In January 2019 the Foreign Secretary discussed Burma with Foreign Minister Balakrishnan of Singapore; he has also met representatives of Non-Governmental Organisations working in Burma.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has received a copy of the repatriation agreement between Burma and Bangladesh for Rohingyan refugees.
Answered by Mark Field
The repatriation agreement between Burma and Bangladesh was signed on 23 November 2018. It has not been published, but the contents were widely reported in the media. We have previously raised our concerns in the House about the reported contents.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
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 that Rohingyan refugees are not repatriated to Burma against their will.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK has been clear, as has the UN Security Council, that Burma must create the conditions in Rakhine to allow the Rohingya to return safely, voluntarily and with dignity. We agree with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that these conditions do not yet exist. UN agencies also do not have the access they need to provide independent monitoring of any returns. The UK was deeply concerned when Bangladesh and Burma announced that the repatriation of refugees to Burma would begin in November 2018. We raised our concerns at the highest levels with both Governments, stressing that returns should not commence while conditions in northern Rakhine remain as they are. We welcome Bangladesh's commitment to the principle of "voluntariness" and were pleased that repatriations did not commence in November 2018. We will continue to make representations to the Governments of both Bangladesh and Burma not to commence returns until suitable conditions exist in northern Rakhine.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with the Department for International Development to protect vulnerable people in refugee camps in Bangladesh from sexual violence.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK remains committed to protecting vulnerable people, including the over one million forcibly displaced Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Up to 18 per cent of the Department for International Development's latest £70 million funding to the Rohingya crisis response in Bangladesh is devoted to the protection of rights for refugees, including prevention and monitoring of sexual exploitation and abuse.
The UK Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative continues to work with the Government of Bangladesh, UN agencies and other stakeholders to strengthen justice and accountability for Rohingya survivors of sexual violence. UK funding includes support for family planning, clinical support to survivors of sexual violence and the creation of safe spaces for women.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances Burmese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has given to the Government on the status of Rohingya in Burma.
Answered by Mark Field
The former Foreign Secretary and Aung San Suu Kyi discussed the status of the Rohingya on many occasions, most recently on 11 June. She highlighted Burma's recent announcement that it had signed a MoU allowing for a UN presence in northern Rakhine.
The Rohingya have long been persecuted in Rakhine. We continue to urge the Burmese Government to address the underlying issues through the implementation of the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations, including on the status of the Rohingya. The British Ambassador made this clear with Burmese Ministers and the Commander in Chief of the Army in early July.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reason the UK abstained during the recent UN Human Rights Council vote on an independent investigation into violence in Gaza.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK's Permanent representative in Geneva set out our reasoning at length in an explanation of the vote which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/human-rights-council-special-session-28th
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Myanmar Government on allowing access for human rights observers to Rakhine State.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK co-sponsored the resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in March this year which set up a Fact Finding Mission to look into the human rights situation in Burma, following the events in Rakhine State in October 2016. At the Human Rights Council in Geneva in September, the UK took part in an Interactive Dialogue with the Fact Finding Mission and supported the resolution to extend the mandate of the Mission to include the deteriation since 25 August in Rahkine. We continue to urge the Government of Burma, and in particular the military, to cooperate with the UN Fact Finding Mission and its mandate and to enable access for the Mission to Rakhine State.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with his foreign counterparts on the imposition of sanctions against the Myanmar Government.
Answered by Mark Field
Ministers are actively discussing the situation in Rakhine with a number of foreign counterparts. We have also raised Rakhine three times at the UN Security Council since 25 August. We continue to consider with other Council members what further action can be taken to press the Burmese Government to resolve the situation in Rakhine and ensure the safe return of the displaced Rohingya from Bangladesh
We are also working with EU partners to consider possible measures, which would follow the UK's lead in suspending defence assistance and visits to EU countries by Burmese senior military figures responsible for the violence in Rakhine state.