Tag: Sir Menzies Campbell

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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether military training given to the Burmese Army by UK advisers advises soldiers to refuse orders that could result in human rights abuses.

Mr Mark Francois

This issue was covered in a panel discussion during the export version of the Managing Defence in the Wider Security Context course that was delivered in Burma, in January 2014, by a mixed civil-military team from the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom and one of their academic providers, Cranfield University. The discussion sat within a lecture on Rules of Engagement. An international law academic from Cranfield University, who specialises in the law of armed conflict, set out the legal position with regards to obeying illegal orders and the consequences of disobeying them.