Myanmar diplomat urged to exit London residence

THE British Government is reportedly pressuring Myanmar’s former ambassador to leave his official London residence a year after he was ousted by the military regime for criticising the coup.

“We are under considerable pressure from the military regime to resolve the issue of your continued presence in the Myanmar residence,” a senior Foreign Office official said in an email sent to Kyaw Zwar Minn on Mar 4 and seen by Reuters.

The ambassador was locked out of his embassy last April on the orders of the military after calling for the release of Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained with most of her government in the Feb 1 coup.

The junta threatened him with prosecution if he did not leave his Hampstead residence, a mansion surrounded by razor wire and monitored by CCTV cameras.

He said he feared for his life if he returned to Myanmar and appealed to the Government for help.

He has refused to hand the residence back to the embassy, which he says is now run by representatives of an illegitimate government.

Outwardly, the Government has praised Mr Minn’s “brave stand in support of democracy” and a Foreign Office spokesman said Britain had provided “significant support” to him to build a life for his family in the UK.

But private Foreign Office correspondence from October last year repeatedly urges him to leave the house, saying his presence there poses legal problems for Britain and risks to its staff in Myanmar.

The Foreign Office and Mr Minn were contacted for comment.

The junta has made no statement on the matter.