The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 9th November 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the call by the Women’s League of Burma and Burma Campaign UK to institute a comprehensive global arms embargo.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The UK is a longstanding supporter of an arms embargo on Myanmar. We are clear that countries should not sell arms to the Myanmar military. On 27 March, the UK coordinated a joint statement with 48 signatories that committed us to working to prevent the flow of arms and equipment to the Myanmar military. We have also worked with international partners at the G7, UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council.to secure strong language on stopping the flow of arms.
We have extensive targeted sanctions on the military and its business interests, including on multiple institutions responsible for procuring weapons from abroad. We are working closely with partners on next steps, including securing further commitments from the international community to halt the transfer of arms, equipment and spare parts to the military.
The Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the call by the Women’s League of Burma and Burma Campaign UK to refer the situation on human rights in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is clear that there must be accountability for the atrocities committed in Myanmar. We condemn the ongoing serious human rights violations committed by the Myanmar military, including the historic atrocities against the Rohingya. These actions require further scrutiny, and the UK is supportive of any attempts to bring these issues before the International Criminal Court.
The Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government
- what assessment they have made of the call by the Women’s League of Burma and Burma Campaign UK to impose aviation fuel sanctions on Myanmar.
- what assessment they have made of the call by the Women’s League of Burma and Burma Campaign UK to enact targeted sanctions against (1) the Burmese military, and (2) its proxies.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021, the UK Government has imposed 12 tranches of sanctions targeting the military’s leadership, and its access to revenue, arms and military equipment.
On 28 February 2022, the UK updated its Overseas Business Risk Guidance to make it clear that UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure that commodities such as aviation fuel do not reach the Myanmar military. The UK is exploring both sanction and non-sanction measures to tackle the Myanmar military’s air capabilities and ability to target civilians.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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