British FM Says Bumese Junta Must be Held Accountable

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

British Foreign Secretary William Hague says Burma's military leaders must be held accountable for their human rights violations.

In a letter to the advocacy group Burma Campaign-UK, Hague said Britain had not ruled out a United Nations commission of inquiry into alleged crimes against humanity committed by the military regime.

Hague's government has joined the US, Australia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia in support the establishment of a UN commission of inquiry. There is an ongoing debate about how best to make the generals accountable for human rights abuses, Hague said.

He said the British government continues to press for a more robust international approach. Human rights abuses in Burma would remain a high priority for Britain, he added.

“The government will continue to work with the EU and other international partners, including Burma’s neighbors, to press for an end to human rights abuses,” Hague said in the letter, which was sent to Burma Campaign-UK on Aug. 24.

“The [British] government will always stand on the side of victims of oppression such as the people of Burma,” he added.

The Burma Campaign-UK forwarded to the British government some 1,400 letters in June concerning Burma's human rights abuses. The British government is very conscious of the strength of feeling in the United Kingdom about Burma, Hague said.

From Irrwaddy News