Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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38. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8686/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Ireland welcomes the democratic transition which is currently underway in Myanmar/Burma following elections in November 2015. We recognise the positive steps that the new Government of Myanmar/Burma has taken in pursuit of peace and reconciliation, democratic reforms and economic growth. I am however deeply concerned about the plight of the Rohingya people in Myanmar, as well as Rohingya refugees in neighbouring countries, particularly in light of the escalation of violence in Rakhine State in the wake of attacks on police posts near Myanmar/Burma’s border with Bangladesh in October 2016.

Ireland has consistently called for an independent investigation into the allegations of human rights violations by the security forces, as well as the need for the full restoration of humanitarian and media access to Rakhine State. I note with serious concern the report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights which issued on 3 February, which outlined experiences of the Rohingya community who recently entered Bangladesh from Rakhine State. I am also aware of the media reports, to which the deputy has referred, which indicate that two senior UN officials estimate that more than 1,000 Rohingya Muslims may have been killed by Myanmar security forces in their response to the October 2016 attacks.

Ireland has been active in raising concerns regarding the treatment of the Rohingya community at bilateral level with the authorities in Myanmar/Burma and in the context of our membership of the EU and the UN. Ireland’s Ambassador to Thailand, who is accredited to Myanmar/Burma, raised these concerns with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Tin during a visit to the country in January 2017. The Embassy continues to monitor the situation closely.

Ireland has also raised concerns regarding the situation of the Rohingya community in the context of our membership of the EU and the UN. In 2016, Ireland supported the EU-led resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar/Burma at the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in March 2016. This resolution conveyed the HRC’s serious concerns over human rights violations in the country, including the situation in Rakhine State and particularly with respect to religious and ethnic minorities, including the Rohingya minority. Ireland also raised this issue in a statement at the 32nd session of the HRC in June 2016 and during the review of Myanmar’s human rights record at the HRC’s Universal Periodic Review in November 2015. Ireland has also supported the inclusion of this issue in the EU’s contact with the Government of Myanmar, including in the most recent EU-Myanmar Human Rights Dialogue which took place on 22 November 2016.