July 15th 2013

Dear Alistair,

I am writing to you about the visit to the UK by Thein Sein, the President of Burma. I am anxious to ensure that the opportunities provided by this visit to address extremely serious and ongoing human rights violations in Burma will not be missed – and hope you will not mind me contacting you by email to press this point. It is crucial that the Government do not focus only on trade negotiations, or ignore this chance to work to improve the safety and security of all people living in Burma.

As I am sure you are aware, there is widespread concern about a range of human rights abuses in Burma. Thein Sein has been welcomed as a reformer, but according to human rights organisations,  abuses which violate international law have actually increased since he became President human right. Issues of concern include the continuing arrest and detention of political prisoners; ongoing documented cases of torture in Burma’s jails; and the continued failure to abide by  an agreement with the UN to stop the use of child soldiers.

There is also evidence of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity being committed against Burma’s minority Rohingya population. This includes a failure to protect them from sectarian and ethnic violence. Nor was there any statement of condemnation by the President when Burma’s Minister of Immigration and Population, Khin Yi, publicly endorsed the two-child limit enforced against the Rohingya people.

In addition, President Thein has blocked emergency aid to ethnic minorities, constituting a violation of international law. Reports of rape by the Burmese army have actually increased since Thein Sein became President, and since he took office more than 250,000 people have fled their homes because of attacks and human rights abuses. In 2012, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Burma as having one of the worst authoritarian regimes in the world.

I understand that reforms can take time, but I am concerned that Burma is not heading in the right direction or making serious attempts to tackle these abuses and protect its own people. The country is now more than two years into the reform process yet serious human rights abuses are still continuing.

Given Thein Sein’s poor track record on human rights, I am anxious for the UK to put pressure on him to take real and significant action to protect his own people, rather than allow the President to pay lip service to democracy and human rights while abuses go unchecked.

I would be grateful if you could reassure me that the UK Government plan to raise these issues with President Thein Sein during his visit. Will the Government commit to demanding real progress is made, rather than accepting vague assurances on human rights issues and allowing trade discussions to dominate the negotiations? If not, how does the UK plan to work to ensure that human rights abuses do not continue unchecked in Burma?

I look forward to receiving your response.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion