Bay of Plenty Times

Myanmar embassy seized

Diplomatic mission in London ‘stormed’, ambassador says

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The Myanmar Embassy in London was “stormed” and seized by allies of the nation’s military regime yesterday, the ambassador has alleged. Kyaw Zwar Minn, who has served as the South-east Asian country’s ambassador to the UK since 2014, said he had been “betrayed” by former colleagues whom he had worked alongside in the building.

Although himself a former military colonel, he drew the ire of his country’s armed junta last month after he expressed his opposition to the successful coup at the start of February. He called publicly for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the deposed civilian leader and Win Myint, the ousted president.

He went on to hold a meeting with Dominic Raab, who applauded his “courage and patriotism” in speaking out. The Foreign Secretary called on the military regime to “end their brutal crackdown and restore democracy”.

After the ambassador’s statement, the Myanmar state broadcaste­r said he had been recalled from his post for issuing an unauthoris­ed declaratio­n.

Blocked yesterday evening from re-entering the diplomatic mission, which is on Charles Street in Mayfair, he said: “When I left the embassy, they stormed inside the embassy and took it. They are from the Myanmar military. They are refusing to let me inside. They said they received instructio­n from the capital, so they are not going to let me in.

“This a coup. This is the UK, we are not in Myanmar, in Burma. They are not able to do this. The British Government won’t allow this one, you’ll see that.”

There were unconfirme­d reports that Chit Win, the deputy ambassador, and the military attache´ had taken control of the embassy and locked the ambassador out, with Chit Win appointed the de facto head of the mission.

Police went to the site, though are not thought to have entered the building, while members of the Myanmar diaspora gathered on the street as night fell. People were asked by officers to respect coronaviru­s regulation­s and avoid gathering in groups of more than six.

Some officers said they had warned people that it was not an authorised protest and that they were breaching the guidelines by being there.

Thiha Soe, who travelled to stand outside the embassy in support of his country, said: “They’re the one who are hijacking our embassy. It belongs to us not to the military. It is a coup.” He added: “If they achieve this one they will do the same things to other embassies around the world. This belongs to us, to the people, the country.”

More than 530 protesters have been killed during a violent crackdown in Myanmar since the coup. The UK and US have led an internatio­nal drive to impose sanctions on the military chiefs. This week Britain widened sanctions to cover the Myanmar Economic Corporatio­n, a conglomera­te with close links to the junta. UN representa­tives have raised the alarm that a “bloodbath” may be imminent amid fears that the country could descend into civil war.

— Telegraph Group Ltd

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