Written question asked by Martyn Jones (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 16 October 2009. It was answered by Chris Bryant (Labour) on Friday, 16 October 2009 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Burma: Asylum

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Burmese authorities over the recent attack by Burmese forces on the Ler Per Her refugee camp.

Answer: We continue to be deeply concerned about the situation in Karen State, and closely followed reports of fighting in June 2009, including reports of an attack on the Ler Per Her refugee camp. We raised our concerns in a UN Security Council discussion on the protection of civilians in armed conflict on 26 June 2009. The EU, with strong UK support, issued a statement on 11 June 2009 calling for an end to hostilities. It expressed particular concern about the humanitarian impact of the ongoing conflict.We have repeatedly urged both the military regime in Burma and the Karen National Union to intensify their efforts to find a peaceful settlement that will bring about a permanent end to the conflict. Direct representations on this issue were made most recently at meetings between our ambassador and Burmese Ministers on 18 and 19 June 2009. Our embassy in Rangoon continues to monitor the situation closely.

Secondary information