Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Myanmar counterpart on the Rohingya people.

The Foreign Secretary visited Myanmar on 19 and 20 September 2018 to visit northern Rakhine and to press Myanmar's leaders to take action. He also discussed the Fact-Finding Mission report with Aung San Suu Kyi. Minister Field spoke with the Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation Kyaw Tin on 1 November 2018 to stress the UK's serious concern at Myanmar's announcement, with Bangladesh, that refugee repatriation would begin despite suitable conditions not yet being in place in northern Rakhine.

In November 2018, the Foreign Secretary wrote a joint letter with the French Foreign Minister making clear to the Myanmar authorities that its Commission of Inquiry needs to be an independent and credible mechanism that will lead to a judicial process in order to deliver accountability for the atrocities committed. The British Ambassador continues to have regular discussions with senior Myanmar officials about the Rohingya people.

On 18 March I met with U Thaung Tun, the Myanmar Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations and National Security Advisor and again raised the issue of conditions in Rakhine and the importance of long term social and economic development in Rakhine to improve prospects for all, including the Rohingya.