Myanmar ambassador to UK says he is locked out of embassy

Kyaw Zwar Minn said he was barred from entering the embassy on Wednesday evening by diplomats loyal to the military regime.

Myanmar's ambassador to the United Kingdom, who has criticized the military coup in the country, says he has been locked out of his London office by colleagues.

London : Kyaw Zwar Minn, the Myanmar ambassador, walks outside the Myanmar Embassy in London, Wednesday, April 7, 2021. Newspaper reports say the embassy was taken over by members of the country's new military regime Wednesday evening. AP/PTI(AP04_08_2021_000020B) (AP)

Kyaw Zwar Minn said he was barred from entering the embassy on Wednesday evening by diplomats loyal to the military regime.

Last month, the ambassador called for the release of Myanmar's democratic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained when the military seized power on Feb 1.

“They are refusing to let me inside. They said they received instruction from the capital, so they are not going to let me in,” he told the Daily Telegraph, calling the move a “coup.”

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Thursday condemned the “bullying actions of the Myanmar military regime,” and praised the ambassador's “courage.” But it was unclear what, if anything, the UK could do about the move.