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Myanmar
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Myanmar’s UK ambassador locked out of London embassy after breaking with military

  • Diplomat Kyaw Zwar Minn has in recent weeks called for the release of detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi
  • Deputy ambassador Chit Win and the military attaché reportedly locked the envoy out of the building

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Myanmar ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn talks to police outside his country’s embassy in London on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Reuters

Myanmar’s ambassador to London said he was locked out of the embassy on Wednesday, with sources saying his deputy had shut him out of the building and taken charge on behalf of the military.

The military seized power in Myanmar in a coup in February and have cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.
London ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn has broken ranks with the ruling junta in recent weeks, calling for the release of detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

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Myanmar’s UK ambassador locked out of London embassy in a ‘kind of coup’

Myanmar’s UK ambassador locked out of London embassy in a ‘kind of coup’

“I have been locked out,” he said outside the embassy in central London.

“It’s a kind of coup, in the middle of London … you can see that they occupy my building,” he said, adding that he was talking to Britain’s foreign ministry about the situation.

Four diplomatic sources with knowledge of the matter said that deputy ambassador Chit Win had taken over as charge d’affairs and he and the military attaché had locked the ambassador out of the building.

Kyaw Zwar Minn spoke next to the embassy, where police were standing guard. He spoke to protesters on the street outside.

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