Addressing the media today, Former Myanmar ambassador, Kyaw Zwar Minn, said that staff were forced to leave Myanmar’s embassy and he was dismissed as the country’s representative by Myanmar’s military attaché.
This follows the violent coup in Myanmar in which the military junta claimed power on 1 February and has since brutally suppressed peaceful protesters and continued the detention of the elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. An estimated 600 people, including dozens of children, have been killed so far in pro-democracy protests.
Addressing the media, Zwar Minn stated;
"There was a coup in Myanmar in February. Now there is the same situation in central London". He further detailed that they were threatened with "severe punishment if they don't continue to work for the military general".
Zwar Minn is reported to have been forced out of the embassy and to have spent Wednesday night in his car.
The British Foreign Office has confirmed receiving a notification from Myanmar’s military junta and being ordered to “accept the decision taken by the Myanmar regime".
Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, responded to the incident stating:
We condemn the bullying actions of the Myanmar military regime in London yesterday, and I pay tribute to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage. The UK continues to call for an end to the coup and the appalling violence, and a swift restoration of democracy
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) April 8, 2021
Read more from the BBC.
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