Written question asked by Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party) on Wednesday, 2 February 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 February 2011. It was answered by Jeremy Browne (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 7 February 2011 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Burma: Politics and Government

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will work with his international counterparts to inform the Government of Burma of concerns about the Burmese Parliament's rules on freedom of speech and scrutiny.

Answer: The Government are deeply concerned by reported restrictions on freedom of speech and scrutiny in Burma's Parliament. It has been reported:"(i) that the Speaker of the Lower House can reject parliamentary questions that he judges will affect international relations, or which undermine the interests of the state;""(ii) that it is a criminal offence, punishable by at least two years in prison, to publish or disclose information relating to parliamentary business."Our ambassador to Rangoon raised the issue directly with the Burmese Minister for Agriculture on 26 January 2011.We have raised our concerns over the restrictive and undemocratic nature of the regime's political process with our international partners, including in recent weeks with China, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. We will again underline our concerns at the forthcoming session of the Human Rights Council in March.

Secondary information