Myanmar's UK envoy says military attache has 'occupied' embassy

Myanmar’s ambassador in London has spent the night in his car after saying he was locked out of his embassy.

Kyaw Zwar Minn said staff were asked to leave the building by Myanmar’s military attaché on Wednesday night, and he was told he was no longer the country’s representative.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has condemned the “bullying actions”.

Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup on 1 February, sparking weeks of protests and escalating violence.

Kyaw Zwar Minn has called for ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be released.

More than 500 people — including dozens of children — have been killed so far as pro-democracy protesters demand a return to power of elected leader Ms Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

Kyaw Zwar Minn described Wednesday’s events as “a kind of coup, in the middle of London”, Reuters reported. “I have been locked out… This kind of coup is not going to happen,” he added.

The ambassador was pictured standing on the street outside the embassy in London’s Mayfair speaking to officers from the Metropolitan Police force.

Police were reportedly called to stop staff re-entering the building. Protesters gathered outside the embassy after news that the ambassador had been locked out emerged.

Deputy ambassador Chit Win is said to have taken over as charge d’affairs in London, Reuters reported, citing diplomats with knowledge of the matter.

In March, Kyaw Zwar Minn called for the release of Ms Suu Kyi and told the BBC that Myanmar was “divided” and could be at risk of civil war.

He maintained that his remarks were not “betraying the country”, adding that he was standing on “middle” ground. The Myanmar government later issued a statement saying he was recalled.

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Crucial hours ahead
At the scene: Mark Lobel, BBC News

The ambassador spent the night curled up in his personal SUV, centimetres from the embassy he finds himself exiled from. A grey van was on the other end of the street, with consular staff and activists awake and monitoring the situation.

One ousted official told me he is adamant the UK Foreign Office will shortly back them over the junta and they can cross the road and get back in.

But the half-dozen police officers guarding the entrance as they brave the freezing temperatures suggests otherwise. British diplomats and politicians have a hard choice to make.

We may also be seeing the last of the heart-breaking pictures in the flower-lined, candle-lit memorial to the dead, that line Charles Street’s black decorative railings. One can only assume that if the changing of the guard is made permanent that may be packed up too.

It is a sleepy street right now but with the anticipated arrival of demonstrators later on Thursday, with three police trucks parked nearby, it may become a rallying point against military action aimed at both the current occupants and their overseas masters.

A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office told the BBC that it was “seeking clarification on the current status of the Myanmar ambassador in London, in line with diplomatic protocol”.

Myanmar’s military seized power in the country after overthrowing the government and declared a state of emergency.

Just days later, a protest movement began to emerge, which quickly gained momentum, leading to hundreds of thousands of people taking part in street protests.

Last week, Ms Suu Kyi was charged with breaking a colonial-era official secrets law, which carries a term of up to 14 years in prison.

Myanmar in profile
Myanmar, also known as Burma, became independent from Britain in 1948. For much of its modern history it has been under military rule
Restrictions began loosening from 2010 onwards, leading to free elections in 2015 and the installation of a government led by veteran opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi the following year
In 2017, Myanmar’s army responded to attacks on police by Rohingya militants with a deadly crackdown, driving more than half a million Rohingya Muslims across the border into Bangladesh in what the UN later called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”

Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been charged with breaking a colonial-era official secrets law, the most serious charge filed against her so far.

Her lawyer told Reuters he learned of the new charge — which carries a term of up to 14 years — just two days ago.

The new charge comes a day after Ms Suu Kyi appeared by video link in court in connection with earlier charges.

She was arrested on 1 February when the military grabbed power in a coup.

They allege that a general election last year, which saw Ms Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) win by a landslide, was fraudulent — though there is no evidence of this.

Myanmar has been rocked by weeks of protests since the coup that have been met with increasingly violent military crackdowns. More than 500 — including 40 children — have been killed so far.

Ms Suu Kyi has not been seen publicly since her arrest.

What are the charges she faces?
Ms Suu Kyi’s chief lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, told Reuters that Ms Suu Kyi, along with three of her deposed cabinet ministers and a detained Australia economic adviser, Sean Turnell, has been charged under the official secrets law.

He said they were charged a week ago in a Yangon court, but that he had only learned of it two days ago.

Aung San Suu Kyi: Democracy icon who fell from grace
Myanmar coup: What is happening and why?
The 75-year-old ousted leader already faces charges of corruption, with the military alleging that she accepted $600,000 (£430,000) in cash and 11kg of gold.

She has also been charged with violating the country’s Natural Disaster Law and with possessing illegal walkie-talkies.

Ms Suu Kyi appeared in court via video link on Thursday in connection with some of these charges. One of her lawyers, Min Min Soe, said she appeared to be in good health.

https://www.thewyco.com/news/myanmars-uk-envoy-says-military-attache-has-occupied-embassy-08-04-2021

What’s the context to this?
Myanmar’s military seized power in the South East Asian nation after overthrowing the government and declared a state of emergency.

Just days later, the civil disobedience movement began to emerge — professionals refusing to return to work in protest.

The movement quickly started to gain momentum and it was not long before hundreds of thousands of people began taking part in street protests.

But there has increasingly been an escalation of violence between police officers and civilians.

Rights group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners say more than 500 people have been killed since the military crackdown began.

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Myanmar’s UK envoy says military attache has ‘occupied’ embassy

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