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Outcry as Myanmar’s UK envoy is shown the door
A statement read on Kyaw Zwar Minn’s behalf outside the embassy in London on Thursday said the embassy building had been “seized by the military attache yesterday evening. The ambassador has been locked out since then”.
Myanmar’s ambassador to the UK, who has criticised the military coup in his country, has said that he was locked out of his London office by his own colleagues. 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 had called for the release of Myanmar’s democratic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained when the military seized power on February 1.
A statement read on Kyaw Zwar Minn’s behalf outside the embassy in London on Thursday said the embassy building had been “seized by the military attache yesterday evening. The ambassador has been locked out since then”.
British foreign secretary Dominic Raab condemned the “bullying actions of the Myanmar military regime”, and praised the ambassador’s “courage”.
Daily protests demanding a return of democracy have rocked the country and brought a brutal response from the armed forces, with almost 600 civilians reportedly killed.
US blacklists state-run gems enterprise
The US treasury department on Thursday imposed sanctions on a Myanmar state-owned gems enterprise in a bid to curtail the military junta’s ability to generate revenues. The move is the latest from the Biden administration targeting the generals.
Myanma Gems Enterprise, part of the country’s vital mining ministry, has been placed on the treasury department’s special designated nationals list, the statement said.
Also, the Myanmar military arrested leading actor, model and heartthrob Paing Takhon in a dawn raid at his mother’s home in Yangon. The 24-year-old star had been active in the protest movement.
