Myanmar’s Ambassador to the UK Was Locked Out of His Own Embassy

Myanmar’s ambassador to the UK reportedly spent the night in his car after being locked out of the embassy in London on Wednesday night.

Photos showed Kyaw Zwar Minn ringing the doorbell of the embassy and talking to police officers on the street as he tried to gain access to the embassy building, after his position was terminated by the new military government.

Speaking to the Reuters news agency, he said it was “a kind of coup, in the middle of London”.

Myanmar’s military seized power in the country in a coup on the 1st of February, arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and toppling the ruling National League for Democracy party.

More than 500 people have been killed in a brutal crackdown upon mass protests that have followed the coup.

Many diplomats abroad have publicly opposed the coup, with Kyaw Zwar Minn telling the BBC last month that Myanmar was facing the risk of civil war.

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson told VICE World News: “We condemn the way the Myanmar military in London barred their Ambassador from entering the Embassy yesterday evening.

“We pay tribute to the courage of Kyaw Zwar Minn in standing up for the people of Myanmar. Given the bullying behaviour towards Mr Minn, we are seeking to ensure he can live safely in the United Kingdom, while he decides his long-term future.

“We continue to call for an end to the coup in Myanmar and a swift restoration of democracy.”