Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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248. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the situation of the Rohingya people; the efforts being made at national, EU and international level to protect the Rohingya people; the specific steps Ireland has taken or will take in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49247/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I continue to have deep concerns about the violence in Rakhine State and I have condemned the excessive actions of the Myanmar security forces on numerous occasions since 25 August.

A devastating humanitarian crisis has developed as a result of these actions, and over 600,000 people, most of whom are members of the Rohingya community, have fled to Bangladesh where they are facing extremely challenging circumstances.

As humanitarian aid and media access to Rakhine State remains severely limited, it has been difficult to obtain comprehensive reports of the situation facing the Rohingya people and other communities remaining in Rakhine State. However the UN has reported that many thousands of people remain displaced there and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. There are other reports, notably from a range of UN representatives outlining details of serious human rights violations in the area.

The wide-ranging efforts being made at national, EU and the wider international levels to address this issue have been outlined in my recent responses to questions in this House, most recently on 16 November.

At a political level, Ireland, and the EU, continue to address this crisis in line with the Conclusions setting out the EU's position on the situation in Myanmar which were adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council on 16 October. Ireland fully endorses this position.

This week, Minister of State Ciarán Cannon T.D. directly conveyed Ireland's concerns about the situation in Rakhine State to Myanmar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs' U Kyaw Tin in a bilateral meeting in Nay Pyi Taw. He raised concerns about the reports of human rights violations and the need to restore humanitarian access to Rakhine State.

He urged the Government of Myanmar to allow the safe, voluntary and sustainable return of the people that have fled their homes and he welcomed Myanmar's engagement with the Government of Bangladesh to address this issue.

Minister Cannon urged the Government of Myanmar to implement the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State in full. In doing so, he emphasised the need to put the conditions in place to enable those returning to Rakhine State to be reintegrated and to ensure their livelihoods.

On behalf of the EU, High Representative Mogherini, along with a representative group of EU Foreign Ministers met with Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 20 November to discuss the situation in Rakhine State. After the meeting, the High Representative issued a statement on behalf of the EU, Norway and Switzerland, which emphasised that the humanitarian and human rights situation in Rakhine State remains extremely serious and called on the Government to ensure accountability for those responsible for committing atrocities. Prior to this meeting, HRVP Mogherini visited the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.

Minister of State Cannon visited Myanmar to participate in a meeting of Asian and European foreign ministers in the ASEM format, which in addition to allowing broader discussions, offered an opportunity for European ministers to express their concern on the situation in Rakhine state. The Minister of State is also meeting with UN and Non Governmental Organisations to learn at first hand of the work they are doing and the challenges they face.

My Department will continue to engage at a national level, through our EU membership and with the broader international community to press for a positive and long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine State, including for the Rohingya community, and for the significant number of refugees who are now situated in Bangladesh.