Myanmar's military seizes country's London embassy

The ambassador said he was locked out when he spoke to local media, describing the incident as "a kind of coup, in the middle of London.”

By REUTERS
Updated: APRIL 8, 2021 09:55
Myanmar's military seizes country's London embassy
Myanmar’s ambassador in London said Wednesday that he has been kicked out of the embassy building by the country’s military attaché.
Kyaw Zwar Minn said the embassy staff were asked to leave the building by a representative of Myanmar's military in the UK and he was told he was no longer the country's representative.
The ambassador said he was locked out when he spoke to local media, describing the incident as "a kind of coup, in the middle of London.”
“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 said.
“This a coup. This is the UK. We are not in Myanmar, in Burma. They are not able to do this. The British government won’t allow this one, you’ll see that.”
A Twitter user wrote: “Burmese community in London currently gathering at #Myanmar embassy over the news of the embassy being seized by the regime.”
Zwar Minn had declared his opposition to the coup and issued a statement demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of the ruling party the National League for Democracy (NLD), and civilian leaders.
He had also met with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to condemn the atrocities by the military in Myanmar. The country’s state TV said he was being recalled for releasing an unauthorized statement.
At least 581 people in Myanmar have been killed since the country’s military seized control, said a Myanmar-based civil rights group.
As of April 6, a total of 2,750 people were under detention and 38 of them were sentenced, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Myanmar’s military seized power on Feb. 1, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and ending the country’s brief experiment with democratic rule.
In response to the coup, civilian groups across the country launched a civil disobedience campaign with mass demonstrations and sit-ins.


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