Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government has had recent contact with the military regime in Burma; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2617/05]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position in relation to Burma, particularly in relation to the number of those who may have lost their lives or livelihoods in the recent tsunami disaster; his views on whether the recognition by the Government of the military regime has created any political or diplomatic opportunities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2754/05]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has made further representations to the Burmese Government in regard to the ongoing imprisonment of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2788/05]

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 161: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts being made to secure the release of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2646/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 124, 146 and 161 together.

As has been stated previously, the Government has pursued a consistent line of support for democracy in Burma. Ireland and our EU partners remain strongly critical of the continued detention under house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, other activists, and a number of MPs elected in the elections of 1990. We have consistently criticised the failure to promote democratic government and condemned serious and persistent human rights abuses and the lack of fundamental freedoms in Burma.

On 2 December 2004, I issued a statement condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the decision of the Burmese Government the previous day to extend the detention under house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi for another year. I also called on the Burmese Government to allow the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Mr. Razali Ismail, to travel to Burma at the earliest opportunity and, while there, to visit Aung San Suu Kyi. The EU Presidency also issued a declaration on 10 December 2004 condemning the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi.

While I welcome the continuing release by the Burmese Government of a large number of prisoners — reports suggest almost 15,000 have been freed over the past two months — I regret that this includes only a limited number of political prisoners.

Following the tsunami, I wrote to the Foreign Minister of Burma, Major General Nyan Win, on 7 January 2005, to convey the Government's sympathy for the loss of life sustained in Burma as a result. In my letter, I also outlined the efforts we had been making, at the EU and UN levels and with international agencies and non-governmental organisations to ensure that assistance is provided to those most in need in the Asia region. I informed the Minister that the effective co-ordination of aid efforts was due to be discussed that day at an extraordinary meeting of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council. I strongly encouraged the Burmese Government to co-operate with international aid organisations which are ready and willing to assist that country and its people in alleviating any suffering the disaster may have caused.

On 6 January 2005, the tsunami assistance co-ordination group met in Burma to consolidate the findings of the different assessment and verification missions undertaken throughout the tsunami affected areas of Burma. The co-ordination group was set up at the onset of the disaster. It comprises a number of international NGOs and is chaired by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, IFRC. The group concluded that Burma has been largely spared from the destructive forces of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and that the initial emergency needs have been met by the government and by the aid community. The group's assessment of the scale of impact is in line with the findings of the Burmese authorities. The group confirmed a death toll of 60 to 80, and estimated the longer-term population affected is around 10,000 to 15,000, of whom 5,000 to 7,000 are directly affected. EU heads of mission in Burma confirmed this assessment on 28 January 2005. It is also understood that UNICEF has been allowed to visit the affected area and to assist with the long-term development of local communities in Burma.

Ireland, along with its EU partners, will continue to monitor the situation in Burma in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster and encourage the Burmese Government to accept all assistance necessary to alleviate any suffering caused by the tsunami.

Ireland and the EU will also continue to monitor the situation in Burma, particularly in the run-up to the National Convention, which is scheduled to resume on 17 February 2005. The EU-ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Jakarta on 10-11 March 2005 will provide an important opportunity for the EU to raise its concerns directly with Burma.

While the decision to establish diplomatic relations still stands, the Government has decided to hold back from an exchange of ambassadors in light of the action of the Burmese regime in blocking anticipated political progress. Any decision to proceed with an exchange of ambassadors will await positive developments.

The Government's continuing goal, and that of the EU, remains the release and restoration of liberty to Aung San Suu Kyi, the return of democracy to Burma, an end to human rights violations and the realisation of peace and prosperity for the long suffering people of Burma.