London was the scene of a curious coup in the Burmese coup on Thursday April 8. The ambassador on duty, Kyaw Zwar Minn, found himself stranded outside his embassy, while the military attaché seized power. In a jacket and sneakers, he spent the night in his car in front of the small building on a street near Hyde Park, regularly ringing the doorbell without getting an answer.
“The military attaché occupies my embassy”, he just said, refusing most of the interviews. He maintains that he is still the official ambassador.
A few dozen pro-democracy activists came to support him during the day. Bouquets of flowers were hung from the fences and a photo of Aung San Suu Kyi, the former government “state councilor”, now in house arrest, was hung on the door.
” I want peace “
Burmese generals launched a coup on 1er February. More than six hundred people have since been killed in the crackdown on the protests. Abroad, however, the ruling junta is contested in the very ranks of Myanmar diplomats. Ambassador to the United Nations Kyaw Moe Tun delivered an emotional speech on February 28, calling for the international community to intervene in order to “Put an end to the military coup, put an end to the oppression of innocent people, restore power to the people and restore democracy”.
A few days later, his counterpart in London, Kyaw Zwar Minn, who is a former army colonel, followed the same line. “Mme Suu Kyi appointed me to my post and I take my orders from her. I ask for his release ”, he explained to the Burmese service of the BBC. He added that he “Did not want to see the citizens of Myanmar die. I ask everyone [manifestants et militaires] to stop. The country is already so divided and risks a potential civil war. I want peace. “ After this statement, the Burmese junta removed him from his post, but Kyaw Zwar Minn refused to comply, which led to the coup de force of his military attaché.
Embarrassing situation
This public showdown puts the British government in an embarrassing situation. On the one hand, the British Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, “Condemns” the action of the Burmese regime and “Pays homage to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage”. On the other, he maintains the ambiguity about who is in his eyes the true ambassador. The British police are also guarding the embassy door, protecting the putschist military attaché residing inside.
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