12 Bangladesh, Burma and the Rohingya crisis 17. DFID’s planned Burma programme for 2018 now amounts to £100 million. The most obvious change to DFID’s approach as seen from the table above is that the government of Burma is now seen as a ‘partner’. DFID states: The UK is one of [Burma’s] most significant diplomatic and development partners encouraging progress on the so-called ‘triple transition’, from authoritarian government to democracy; from conflict to peace; and from a closed to an open economy.15 Additionally, now top of DFID’s list of objectives is “building Burma into a stable ally and trade partner” pushing the aim of ending poverty and vulnerability into second place. 18. We are concerned that recent events raise serious questions about the DFID country plan’s terms of engagement with Burma. These questions are: • Whether Burma’s “pivotal moment” has in fact passed? • If the UK should “ally” with a government whose conduct UK Ministers regard as amounting to ethnic cleansing?16 • What the UK’s relationship with Burma should be when its treatment of the Rohingya has been described by senior UN officials as having the hallmarks of genocide?17 • Whether “maintaining stability” can encompass Burma’s military operations in Rakhine, Kachin or Shan states? • How encouraging prosperity can avoid largely rewarding those responsible for orchestrating atrocity crimes? • Whether Burma remains on a path to better government, fairer and more peaceful society with public services shared by all of its people? and • If those living in conflict-affected areas, “out of the reach of the Burmese state” are not better off that way in the light of what happened to the Rohingya? UK policy following the Rohingya crisis 19. We have been interested to explore what the consequences have been for the military and Burmese government following ethnic cleansing. Burma Campaign UK said: Almost 8 months on from the start of the Rohingya crisis, Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military, has still paid no price for what he has done. [ … ] The British government has led on words but not on practical action that will pressure the military to end attacks on ethnic people and hold them to account.18 15 16 17 18 DFID Burma Country Programme 2017 Bangladesh and Burma: the Rohingya crisis—monsoon preparedness in Cox’s Bazar: Government response to the Committee’s Third Report, Fifth Special Report, 2017–19, HC 1055, 22 May 2018, p vi UN Human Rights Council proceedings: 5 December 2017 and 12 March 2018 Burma Campaign UK brief for Westminster Hall Debate Monday 16th April 2018