Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to persuade the Bangladeshi authorities not to proceed with the proposed involuntary repatriations of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar after the general election on 30 December.

The Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Mr Field, raised our concerns about this issue with Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, and Burmese Minister for International Cooperation Kyaw Tin on 1 November, and with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Ali on 15 November. We will continue to make representations to the governments of both Bangladesh and Burma not to commence returns while conditions in northern Rakhine remain as they are.

The British Government has been consistently clear that the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Burma should only take place in conditions that are voluntary, safe and dignified. We welcome that the Government of Bangladesh has publicly confirmed its continued commitment to the principle of voluntary refugee return. We have stated publicly that we agree with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that the conditions for safe and dignified returns do not yet exist. The access required for necessary independent monitoring by UN agencies is also not in place.