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.

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.

While 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.

On hearing of the expulsion of Médicins San Frontières (MSF) on 26 February, the British embassy registered our concerns with the Burmese Government that same evening. Since then we have been liaising very closely with MSF tailoring our lobbying to their support, as they negotiate with the Burmese authorities. The British ambassador visited the MSF clinic in Sittwe during his visit to Rakhine State from 19-20 March to hear first hand the impact this decision has had on the local community.

I summoned the Burmese ambassador to London on 7 April to make clear our grave concerns about the situation in Rakhine State, including the expulsion of Médicins San Frontières. I called on the Burmese Government to urgently restore humanitarian access to all communities in need and to ensure the security of humanitarian aid workers and all communities in Rakhine State so that they can operate free of constraint and intimidation. We continue to make clear to the Burmese authorities that there must be no deterioration in the provision of health services in Rakhine State, which is already on the brink of crisis.

DFID officials have regular discussions with the Government of Burma. DFID officials sit on the National Advisory Committee, chaired by Government and that includes representatives from across Government Departments, and have successfully pushed for broader representation of ethnic groups on this national oversight body. During his visit in January the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) raised the census with the Government of Burma and other interested parties.

There are currently no Burmese Army soldiers receiving training from the British Army.

From 6 to 17 January 2014, the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in collaboration with its academic partner, Cranfield University, delivered the Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context educational course in Burma to 30 Burmese participants, a mix of military officers and civilians. We are not aware of any involvement in human rights abuses by course participants.

We believe that a credible and transparent national process is the most effective way of furthering accountability. We are extremely concerned about the situation and, in particular, the recent violence in Rakhine

State. 1 made our concern clear during my most recent visit to Burma, 28-30 January. Where serious crimes have been committed, those who have perpetrated them must be held accountable for their actions. This should be done through a clear and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process. We welcome sentences passed on those guilty of the violence in June 2012. However, we continue to call for all those accused of having instigated, incited, or carried out violence in Rakhine State to be held to account.

The British Government has been among the most vocal members of the international community in raising our concerns about the plight of the Rohingya community. In Burma we continue to make clear to the Burmese Government that where serious crimes have been committed, those who have perpetrated them must be held accountable for their actions. This should be done through a clear and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process that meets international standards. Further independent investigative work to fully establish the facts would be required for an informed assessment as to whether ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity have been committed.

We also continue to raise our concerns about the condition of Rohingya refugees, particularly those who flee through Thailand, with the Thai Government.

Engaging the military will be vital if Burma's reform process is to succeed. The British Government appointed A defence attaché to Burma in February this year at the request of the Burmese Government and Aung San Suu Kyi; our defence attaché will be the primary mechanism for such engagement. We will focus on efforts to ensure that the Burmese military is democratically accountable and operates within the context of international standards, including human rights. We set out these objectives clearly to President Thein Sein during his visit to the UK in July 2013. Part of our engagement will focus on the issue of ending the recruitment of child soldiers.

In August 2013 the UK, as part of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict agreed a resolution on the issue of child soldiers in Burma. The resolution specifically calls on the Burmese Government to ensure the UN country team is granted access to all military sites, and that steps are taken to remove the incentives for recruiting child soldiers and to strengthen age verification mechanisms. Officials are in regular contact with UN staff and we will continue to engage with the Burmese Government and Burmese military on this issue.

As I set out during the Adjournment debate in the House on 8 October 2013, Official Report, columns 138-40, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised a number of our concerns during the visit of President Thein Sein. These concerns included the continuing plight of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State and specifically their citizenship status of the Rohingya.

The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State also repeated our calls for the release of all remaining political prisoners. To that effect, we welcomed the commitment made by President Thein Sein during his visit to release all political prisoners by the end of 2013. As I stated to the House on 8 October, while we welcome recent releases, we also call on the Burmese Government to repeal repressive laws that have led to a number of fresh arrests of political activists over the past year.