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 any repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar includes (a) guarantees on the physical and legal safety of returnees and (b) UNHCR supervision.

The Foreign Secretary raised the issue of refugee returns when he met Burmese State Counsellor Aung Sun Suu Kyi on 12 February. The UK has been clear Rohingya refugees must be allowed to return to their homes in Rakhine voluntarily, in safety and with dignity. The UK secured the support of the UN Security Council for these requirements in its Presidential Statement of 6 November. The UK Government shares UNHCR's assessment that conditions in Rakhine are not currently in place to enable returns in line with these standards, and has called on the Burmese authorities to allow UNHCR to play a full role in the returns process.