The day after his dismissal and barred entry to the Myanmar embassy in London, the now ex-ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn called on the British government to refuse to recognize the diplomatic representatives chosen by the military junta and to dismiss them. send back to Asian country.
A supporter of the deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Minn was arrested Wednesday (7) by his deputy, Chit Win, at the request of the military who carried out a coup on February 1.
In a statement read on his behalf outside the embassy, the diplomat called on the UK to “refuse to work with Win or any other ambassador the military junta may appoint in the future.”
The British Foreign Office announced that it had been informed by the Myanmar government of the end of the ambassador’s tenure and said it had no choice but “to accept the decision taken by the government”. Earlier on Thursday, portfolio secretary Dominic Raab had praised the fallen envoy. “We yesterday condemned the intimidation of the Myanmar military regime in London [quarta] and I pay tribute to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage, ”he said.
In a letter to the British Foreign Office, Myanmar’s military government said Deputy Ambassador Chit Win took over as head of diplomatic representation on April 7 and Minn was summoned to the country.
Meanwhile, in Myanmar, protests against the military junta continue. On Thursday 11, 11 people were killed by security forces in the northwestern town of Taze.
Initially, six trucks of soldiers were dispatched to quell protests in the city, according to the Myanmar Now and Irrawaddy news sites. When the protesters responded with knives and bombs, five more troop trucks were dispatched – there were no casualties among the officers.
The new confrontation brings the number of civilians killed by the armed forces to more than 600 since the junta took power, according to the AAPP (Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners).
In Rangoon, the country’s largest city, activists donned shoes full of flowers to honor the dead. On the military junta side, arrest warrants have been issued for hundreds of people, with the military prosecuting dozens of influencers, artists and musicians this week.
On Thursday, for example, model and actor Paing Takhon, who spoke out against the coup, was arrested. His sister Thi Thi Lwin told Reuters that the military had gone to his parents’ home, where his brother was, to arrest him. On Tuesday (6), one of the country’s most famous comedians was also arrested.
According to the AAPP, 2,847 people are currently in detention.