Baroness Kinnock of Hollyhead, representing the Burma UK campaign non-governmental organisation, said Mr Cameron, who meets Thein Sein on Monday, was rewarding a leader who had not delivered on promised changes, claiming increased pressure on the regime would be better than conciliatory gestures. She reflected anger that the Government was also looking to develop trade ties with Burma, including a move to expand financial services.
"Promoting trade, before securing major advances on human rights encourages Thein Sein to believe that his government can continue to act with impunity. William Hague and David Cameron should send Thein Sein away with a flea in his ear, not a pat on his back," she said.
A petition organised by the campaign group Avaaz calling on Britain and France to issue an ultimatum on the violence to Thein Sein during the meetings has drawn more than one million signatures