Two officers at Myanmar’s embassy in Tokyo have turn into the newest diplomats dismissed by the junta after protesting the army coup in their nation, Japan’s Kyodo information company reported Thursday. Administrator Aung Soe Moe and a junior colleague have been fired after they went on strike, the company mentioned.
Citing a leaked doc, Kyodo mentioned some 100 Myanmar diplomats all over the world have been dismissed after opposing the coup. Myanmar’s army ousted civilian chief Aung San Suu Kyi in February, triggering an enormous rebellion that authorities have sought to quell with deadly pressure.
Kyodo mentioned the 2 diplomats left the embassy compound on March 11, days after posting on Facebook in help of peaceable anti-junta protests. They didn’t resign however have had their diplomatic standing and passports revoked, and reside in Tokyo with the assistance of different Myanmar nationals, Kyodo mentioned.
The Myanmar embassy has knowledgeable Japan’s international ministry that diplomatic visas for the pair will now not be legitimate, Japanese authorities spokesman Katsunobu Kato advised reporters Thursday. “The international ministry is learning what sort of response is acceptable, giving consideration to Myanmar’s present state of affairs,” Kato added.
Japan has criticised the coup in Myanmar and called for the restoration of democracy, but it has faced pressure to stake out a stronger position on the crisis. The Myanmar embassy was not reachable for comment on Thursday.
In April, pro-junta diplomats seized the country’s embassy in London — leaving the ambassador locked out after he called for the release of Suu Kyi. Other Myanmar diplomats including at the United Nations and in Berlin have also faced similar threats or oustings over their protests.
Japan has strong economic ties with Myanmar and long-standing relations with its military. Last week, a Japanese journalist arrested while covering the aftermath of the Myanmar coup was released in a diplomatic gesture and returned to Japan.
Japan, a top aid donor to Myanmar, announced in March it was suspending new assistance in response to the coup, but stopped short of the sanctions imposed by some nations on military and police commanders.
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