Sir Menzies Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Menzies Campbell on 2014-04-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Burma on protecting Burmese soldiers who refuse orders which could result in human rights abuses.

Mr Hugo Swire

During my second visit to Burma in January, I personally pressed the Burmese government and members of the Burmese military, including the Burmese Commander in Chief, to address our human rights concerns. I was also fortunate to visit Kachin State in January – the first British Minister to do so since Burma gained independence. I made clear to the government and the military that conflict should end and that there should be unhindered humanitarian access to the areas affected. I also raised our concerns about very serious allegations of sexual violence in conflict and the forced conscription of child soldiers.

Whilst I did not discuss the issue of soldiers refusing orders which could result in human rights abuses, a discussion of the nature of illegal orders featured during the Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context course, delivered by the UK Defence Academy in Burma in January. The 30 course participants were a mix of mid-ranking military officers, members of the police and officials from Burma’s foreign ministry.