Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage freedom of religion in Burma and other South-East Asian countries.

Mr Hugo Swire

I made very clear during my visit to Burma in January that respect for freedom of religion and belief must be guaranteed. Our Ambassador and officials regularly discuss the importance of freedom of religion, which is guaranteed in the constitution, with the Burmese government, and also regularly meet representatives of all faith communities. The UK is also providing funding to train journalists on responsible coverage of religious freedom and conflict, and supporting a project to enhance the capacity of civil society groups to advocate freedom of religion. We have previously provided funding for interfaith dialogue and peace building amongst young people.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials across South-East Asia regularly discuss these issues with local governments and faith communities, and Ministers also raise specific issues and concerns as they arise. Recently, for example, I raised our concerns about the introduction of a sharia criminal code in Brunei with Deputy Foreign Minister Pehin Lim; our Ambassador in Jakarta has discussed the protection of religious minority groups in Indonesia; and my noble Friend, the right hon. Baroness Warsi, has stressed the importance of tolerance and mutual respect with senior ministers in Malaysia. We will also continue to support projects across South-East Asia designed to bolster and protect freedom of religion and belief.