David Cameron urged to raise human rights with Burma's Thein Sein

Reuters

July 15, 2013

Campaigners want the prime minister to press the former military leader on violence against Burma's Muslims

David Cameron is under pressure to raise human rights in talks on Monday with Burma's president, Thein Sein, the first leader of the country to visit Britain in more than a quarter of a century.

Thein Sein is due to talk trade, aid and democracy with Cameron and his ministers during a two-day visit at a time when Burma is opening up its oil, gas and telecoms sectors to foreign investors.

Thein Sein, a former military commander, wants the West to help Burma's economy recover from decades of military dictatorship, Soviet-style planning and international sanctions.

Western leaders have praised him for ending the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, releasing some political prisoners, and allowing the opposition to contest an election.

But they want him to loosen further the military's grip before a 2015 presidential election which the British-educated Suu Kyi hopes to contest. Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, visited Britain last year.

Thein Sein is also under pressure to act to protect Burma's Muslim minority from inter-ethnic violence.

"Cameron should not miss an important opportunity to press Burma's president on justice for crimes against humanity committed against the country's Muslims, the release of remaining political prisoners, or an end to repressive laws," Human Rights Watch said.

At least 237 people have been killed in Burma in religious violence over the past year and about 150,000 have been displaced. Most of the victims were Rohingya Muslims, the United Nations said.

Avaaz, a global campaign group, plans a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament on Monday, saying almost a million people have signed a petition calling for an end to the violence.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said: "We want to recognise the remarkable reforms of the last 18 months but also to raise at the highest levels our ongoing concerns, particularly about inter-communal and anti-Muslim violence."

Britain would press Thein Sein to improve humanitarian access, to address accountability for crimes and to end discrimination against the Rohingya, he said.

Thein Sein, who remains close to the military, this year became the first leader of his country since 1966 to visit the White House. His British trip is thought to be the first by a Burmese leader since the late General Ne Win visited in 1986.