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.
‘NEO-NAZIS’: A minister described the rally as ‘spreading hate’ and ‘dividing our communities,’ adding that it had been organized and promoted by far-right groups Thousands of Australians joined anti-immigration rallies across the country yesterday that the center-left government condemned, saying they sought to spread hate and were linked to neo-Nazis. “March for Australia” rallies against immigration were held in Sydney, and other state capitals and regional centers, according to the group’s Web site. “Mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together,” the Web site said. The group posted on X on Saturday that the rallies aimed to do “what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.” The group also said it was concerned about culture,
CRACKDOWN: The Indonesian president vowed to clamp down on ‘treason and terrorism,’ while acceding to some protest demands to revoke lawmaker benefits Protests in Indonesia over rising living costs and inequality intensified overnight, prompting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to cancel a planned trip to China, while demonstrators reportedly targeted the homes of the finance minister and several lawmakers. Rioters entered Indonesian Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati’s residence near Jakarta early yesterday, but were repelled by armed forces personnel, Kompas reported. Items were taken from the homes of lawmaker Ahmad Sahroni and two others, according to Detik.com. The reports of looting could not be independently verified, and the finance ministry has not responded to requests for comment. The protests were sparked by outrage over
VENEZUELAN ACTION: Marco Rubio said that previous US interdiction efforts have not stemmed the flow of illicit drugs into the US and that ‘blowing them up’ would US President Donald Trump on Wednesday justified a lethal military strike that his administration said was carried out a day earlier against a Venezuelan gang as a necessary effort by the US to send a message to Latin American cartels. Asked why the military did not instead interdict the vessel and capture those on board, Trump said that the operation would cause drug smugglers to think twice about trying to move drugs into the US. “There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people and everybody fully understands that,” Trump said while hosting Polish President
A French couple kept Louise, a playful black panther, in an apartment in northern France, triggering panic when she was spotted roaming nearby rooftops. The pair were were handed suspended jail sentences on Thursday for illegally keeping a wild animal, despite protesting that they saw Louise as their baby. The ruling follows a September 2019 incident when the months-old feline was seen roaming a rooftop in Armentieres after slipping out of the couple’s window. Authorities captured the panther by sedating her with anesthetic darts after she entered a home. No injuries were reported during the animal’s time on the loose. The court in the
RSS