The UK Conservative Party’s Human Rights Commission has today released a policy paper calling for increased action on Burma ahead of the regime’s sham elections later in the year.In a paper submitted to the Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague today, the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, chaired by Tony Baldry MP, recommended that a new Conservative government in the United Kingdom should take pro-active steps to build international support for a universal arms embargo, a UN commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity and targeted financial sanctions.

The Commission called for the EU to adopt more carefully targeted measures, such as a ban on insurance. Sanctions should be linked more directly to developments in the country, the report concluded.

“The regime must be given a clear message that sanctions will be tightened further in response to events in  Burma and, similarly, if there is concrete, long-lasting, significant progress, including the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, an end to offensives and human rights violations in the ethnic areas, and a meaningful process of tripartite dialogue between the regime, the [democracy movement] and the ethnic nationalities, some sanctions could be lifted,” the Commission recommended. “The Generals should not, however, be rewarded for taking ten steps back and one small step forward – the progress must be significant, based on the benchmarks outlined here.”

A unified international approach should be developed, high-level engagement efforts through the UN should be increased, and economic pressure “must be accompanied by intense, high-level diplomatic and political pressure”.

A full copy of the report is available from Benedict Rogers, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, at ben@csw.org.uk

For comment please contact Benedict Rogers on

+44-208-329-0041 or +44-7823-329664