BURMA - THAILAND REFUGEE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING CRISIS

Early day motion 1024, tabled 5 February 2013 by Lord Field of Birkenhead (Labour). Signed by 64 members.

That this House is alarmed that, whilst the government of Thailand has agreed in principle to allow the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) access to hundreds of Rohingya refugees that have fled Western Burma's continuing sectarian violence, permanent access has still not been granted; welcomes the government of Thailand's pledge to work with the UNHCR to find a long-term solution but is further alarmed by recent statements indicating that that government is considering deporting refugees after six months, despite warnings that they will face persecution; expresses serious concern that human trafficking of refugees from Burma is a lucrative criminal activity and that traffickers are taking advantage of the violence and fuelling the growing wave of refugees; is especially concerned by a recent BBC report revealing that Thai officials have been selling refugees to traffickers; calls on the Government tourge the government of Thailand to grant the UNHCR full and permanent access to conduct refugee screening and to work with the European Union to push for a regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations-led response to the crisis; further calls on the Government to raise the Thai officials' reported selling of refugees to traffickers with the Thai government; further notes that growing numbers of refugees are risking their lives on smugglers' boats due to mounting frustration over the lack of immediate solution to their plight; and therefore again calls on the Government to work to ensure that unrestricted humanitarian access is granted by the Burmese authorities to Rakhine state.

Signatures by party: Labour 31, Liberal Democrat 14, Conservative 8, DUP 5, Scottish National Party 2, Alliance 1, Green 1, Plaid Cymru 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.