Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Burma on allegations of mass rape in Rohingya women and children in Rakhine State.

The Foreign Secretary has repeatedly been clear about the need for the Burmese authorities to end the violence in Rakhine. This includes sexual violence. He has made these calls in telephone conversations with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 7 and 17 September, and 21 October; and to the Burmese National Security Advisor and Deputy Foreign Minister at a meeting of foreign ministers he convened at the UN on 18 September.

I met Burma's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on 20 September at the UN and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma on 27 September, and reiterated the same messages. Our Ambassador and Embassy officials in Rangoon have regularly raised concerns with Burmese Ministers, most recently with the Defence Minister on 31 October.

Lord Ahmad made a statement at the Human Rights Council on 11 September which made clear the UK strongly condemned the violence in Rakhine, and called on all parties to de-escalate tensions and address the humanitarian crisis.