We asked all the main UK political parties for their policy on Burma. We received the following responses.
In alphabetical order
Conservative Party
Burma: Labour’s Failure. The British Government promised that the international community ‘will not stand idly by’ (Foreign Office minister Mike O’Brien, Press Release, 19 June 2003) in the face of continued suffering in Burma under its current military regime, but it has done nothing. The US Government has now passed a Freedom and Democracy Act which will impose investment sanctions on Burma. Labour gave a commitment to introduce sanctions on investment before the 1997 Election, in a letter in July 1996 from Shadow Minister Mr Derek Fatchett to Mr Malcolm Rifkind (then Foreign Secretary). Action is still awaited.
…And the Conservative Approach. The British Government should:
- impose investment sanctions unilaterally;
- put Burma on the agenda of the UN Security Council, with the aim of securing a resolution calling for an end to all investment as long as the military regime remains in power, and for sanctions on certain Burmese exports;
- encourage criticism and action from Burma’s regional neighbours.
These measures would create strong pressure for the release of political prisoners; for National League of Democracy offices and universities to be reopened; for the ruling military regime to end extra-judicial killings, systematic rape and political intimidation immediately; and for a genuine democratic process to emerge, leading towards an elected government.
The Labour Party
The Labour Party is deeply concerned about the political, economic and human rights situation in Burma and considers the regime’s consistent record of human rights abuse as wholly unacceptable. We recognise the outcome of the 1990 election where the National League for Democracy was elected by a landslide.
We have worked closely with EU partners to consolidate pressure on the junta in Rangoon. The EU Common Position on Burma was strengthened in 1998, 2000, 2003, and most recently on 11 October 2004 in response to the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy. We believe that the National Convention can make no progress as long as Aung San Suu Kyi is under house arrest and the NLD is not involved in the Convention. The strengthened measures taken in 2004 by the EU include an expansion of the visa ban and a prohibition on EU registered companies or organisations from making financial loans or credit available to Burmese state owned enterprises. At the same time, the EU pledged to expand assistance to the Burmese people in the fields of health and education.
In addition to working within the EU, we have worked with the UN to increase pressure on the regime. The Labour Government has been one of the strongest supporters of the UN Special Envoy on Burma Tan Sri Razali Ismail and has pressed consistently for his readmission to Burma. We have also worked within the UN General Assembly and the UIN Commission on Human Rights to pass successive resolutions condemning the human rights situation in Burma. Most recently, Britain together with EU partners cosponsored a resolution on Burma at the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva in April.
The UK gives no development assistance to Burma but does provide humanitarian assistance to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. We actively discourage all trade, investment and tourism with Burma. BAT withdrew its investment from Burma in response to a request by the government.
The Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats long supported Aung San Suu Kyi’s efforts to bring democracy to her country. Her treatment by the government of Burma is in violation of fundamental human rights. When Suu Kyi was released in 2002, after nineteen months of house arrest, it was hoped that this indicated the military junta was prepared to take steps to improve Burma’s human rights record. But progress has not been made. Suu Kyi has been put back under house arrest and there has been no relaxation of the restrictions placed on basic civil and political liberties in Burma.
Ethnic minorities continue to report grave abuses, including forced labour and the rape of women of the Shan minority by military forces.
We wish to see an increased role for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border and a permanent U.N Human rights monitor in eastern Burma to investigate human rights violations.
Liberal Democrats will continue to urge the UK Government and the European Union to take every opportunity to put pressure on the Burmese military government to restore democracy in Burma. We support the tourism boycott of Burma and are in favour of targeted imposing economic sanctions on Burma to encourage democratic reform.
Plaid Cymru/The Party of Wales
Plaid Cymru/The Party of Wales would fully support sanctions against Burma. For far too long Burma has ignored the basic tenets of human rights and civil liberties and despite long and arduous protestations from many in the international community, very little has occurred, and therefore there is a definite and strong case against Burma.
Sinn Fein
Sinn Fein:
- Supports the work of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and others who are working to bring democracy, peace, human rights and stability to Burma
- Calls for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of the National League for Democracy who continue to be detained under house arrest in Burma because of their work for democracy, justice and peace.
- Calls for the implementation of the democratic will of the people of Burma as exercised in the May 1990 General Election
- Support’s the call for sanctions against Burmese exports which provide the military regime with the majority of its income.
- Supports an International Arms Embargo
- Calls for the United Nations to urgently intervene in the case of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other prisoners of conscience in Burma.
Social & Democratic Labour Party (SDLP)
SDLP was the 1st Irish party to support Aung San Suu Kyi & Burmese people’s pro-democracy campaign. The military rulers who have been in power for many years have one of the worst human rights records in the world: forced labour, child soldiers, political prisoners, torture, extra-judicial execution, rape, wholesale and large scale forced dislocation of ethnic minorities. Burmese migrants, two million of them, and labelled as “illegal” have been expelled from their own country, have been forced into other countries into camps and used and abused and exploited as cheap labour.
Next year Burma takes the chair of ASEAN-the Association of South East Asian Nations-ten countries which have trade relations with the European Union. The British and Irish overnments must, through the EU, continue to put pressure on ASEAN to effect real and meaningful change in Burma. Money talks, and trade talks and the twenty five nations of the EU, all of them pluralist democracies, should demand that Aung San and leaders of the ethnic groups have the power to exercise their democratic mandate and to play their part in writing the planned new Burmese constitution.
Last year Ireland established diplomatic relations with Burma. A lot of people were not happy with that but, now that it has happened, it should be used effectively and whatever contacts An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has following his recent visit to China should be used for the benefit of the Burmese people. The next time the SDLP meets the Dublin government, Burma will be tabled on the agenda by the SDLP. We were particularly heartened that last week Tony Blair, Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy, the leaders of the three major parties in the UK, whatever their other differences, stood together and called for a travel boycott of Burma because of the horrific human rights abuses there.