Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on supporting an independent investigation with international experts to investigate human rights violations in Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Ms Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Burma, produces regular reports which assess specifically allegations of human rights violations, particularly in Rakhine. Her role is mandated by annual UN Human Rights Council Resolutions, which the UK continues to support firmly. Additionally, UN High Commissioner Zeid presented a report to the June Human Rights Council in Geneva detailing patterns of violations and abuses committed over a prolonged period of time against the Rohingya and other minorities in Burma

While it is clear that violations and abuses have taken place in Rakhine State, our priority is to encourage the new civilian Government to take urgent steps to: improve security and the humanitarian situation; lift restrictions on freedom of movement; and find a sustainable solution on citizenship.