Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether HM Ambassador to Burma has met the families of political prisoners in Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Our Ambassador has met the families of several political prisoners. The Ambassador and other Embassy officials also regularly meet former political prisoners themselves. They remain in close contact with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and other civil society networks in support of their work, reviewing the cases of political prisoners and advocating for the release of those that have been unjustly convicted.

We welcome the release of thousands of political prisoners under the current Burmese government. However, we remain very concerned by the continued arrests, detentions and sentencing of political activists. During my visit in January, I urged continued dialogue between the government, political parties, ethnic armed groups and civil society to resolve remaining cases as a matter of urgency.