Two officials at Myanmar’s embassy in Tokyo have become the latest diplomats dismissed by the junta after protesting the military coup in their country, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported yesterday.
Administrator Aung Soe Moe and a junior colleague were fired after they went on strike, the agency said.
Citing a leaked document, Kyodo said that about 100 Burmese diplomats around the world have been dismissed after opposing the coup.
Myanmar’s military in February ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a massive uprising that authorities have sought to quell with lethal force.
Kyodo reported that the two diplomats left the embassy compound on March 11, days after posting on Facebook in support of peaceful protests against the junta.
They did not resign, but have had their diplomatic status and passports revoked, and are living in Tokyo with the help of other Burmese nationals, Kyodo reported.
The Burmese embassy has informed the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that diplomatic visas for the pair will no longer be valid, Japanese government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told reporters.
“The foreign ministry is studying what kind of response is appropriate, giving consideration to Myanmar’s current situation,” Kato said.
The Burmese embassy was not reachable for comment.
Last month, pro-junta diplomats seized the country’s embassy in London leaving the ambassador locked out after he called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Other Burmese diplomats, including at the UN and in Berlin, have also faced similar threats or oustings over similar protests.
Last week, a Japanese journalist arrested while covering the aftermath of the coup in Myanmar was released in a diplomatic gesture and returned to Japan.
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