Minister of State for Indo-Pacific (): Yesterday
marked two years since the military seized power from the
democratically elected government in Myanmar. The military
continues to instigate violence across the country and inflict
acute suffering against the people of Myanmar.
The consequences for domestic and regional stability are clear;
over 17 million people are now in need of humanitarian assistance
- a staggering increase of 16 million in just two years; over 1.5
million people are displaced within Myanmar, with a million more
in neighbouring Bangladesh, Thailand and India; illicit economies
are thriving; and democratic gains have been reversed. Recent
figures indicated Myanmar suffered some of the most intense
violence in the world in 2022, with conflict-related deaths
second only to Ukraine. There is a clear trajectory of increasing
violence, human rights violations and abuses, to which the UK has
responded with a range of tools.
Since the coup, we have provided around £100m to support those in
need of humanitarian assistance, deliver healthcare and education
for the most vulnerable, and protect civic space. We are proud to
work with civil society organisations in Myanmar who have access
to vulnerable communities in the most remote and hard to reach
places, even where others have been unable to do so.
We have led a strong, coordinated international response to the
coup, through our G7 Presidency and our leadership role on
Myanmar at the UN Security Council (UNSC). On 21 December 2022,
the UNSC passed the first ever resolution on the situation in
Myanmar, led by the UK. The Resolution demands an end to violence
and urges immediate action by the military regime to fully
implement the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Five Point
Consensus and release all those arbitrarily detained. We have
also used our role at the UN Human Rights Council to highlight
violations, including gender-based violence.
The UK condemns the brutal actions of the military regime. The
military continues to use indiscriminate air attacks on schools,
hospitals and places of worship, to supress, intimidate and
demoralise the civilian population. In Myanmar, the security
forces are committing atrocities with impunity, including reports
of sexual violence, torture and village burnings bearing many of
the hallmarks of the atrocities against the Rohingya in 2016 and
2017. In response to this violence, the UK has announced its
fourteenth tranche of targeted sanctions, to target companies and
individuals who are responsible for supplying aviation fuel to
the Myanmar Air Force. We will continue to use all possible
measures to target those who seek to facilitate and profit from
the military’s human rights violations.
We support all those working peacefully to restore democracy in
Myanmar. The military must engage in inclusive and meaningful
dialogue with the full range of opposition voices, including the
National Unity Government (NUG), and respect the democratic
aspirations of the people of Myanmar. In 2022, UK Ministers spoke
regularly with counterparts in the NUG. We call on the military
to immediately end its campaign of violence and release the
thousands of people it has detained arbitrarily, including Aung
San Suu Kyi. The military must engage in inclusive and meaningful
dialogue with the full range of opposition voices in order to
respect the federal, democratic aspirations of the people of
Myanmar.
The Rohingya in Myanmar continue to suffer systemic
discrimination. Sadly, this is leading to desperate attempts to
reach third country destinations, often ending in tragedy. We
will support all efforts to seek accountability for the
atrocities they suffered in 2017. This is why, in August, we
announced our intention to intervene in the International Court
of Justice case brought by The Gambia.
We remain committed to supporting efforts to hold perpetrators of
violence to account. We have provided funding to the Independent
Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and established the Myanmar
Witness Programme to collect and preserve evidence of serious
human rights violations and abuses, including those against
women, girls and LGBT+ people.
I reiterate my steadfast support for the people of Myanmar, and
my desire to work towards a peaceful, inclusive and democratic
future for the country.
