Myanmar: Authorities arrested a former British ambassador to the country and her husband

Authorities in Myanmar have arrested a former British ambassador to the country and her husband, sources said.

Vicky Bowman, the current head of the Myanmar Center for Responsible Business (MCRB), and her husband Htein Lin, a Myanmar artist and former political prisoner, were arrested on Wednesday in Yangon, the country’s financial capital, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. case, but asked not to be identified.

A source said the former British ambassador and her husband have been charged with violating immigration laws.

The two arrested remain in custody and will be sent to the notorious Insein prison on the outskirts of Yangon, where many political prisoners are held.

A representative of the junta in Myanmar has not yet commented on the information.

Myanmar has been plunged into political and economic crisis since the military overthrew its elected government in February 2021. Thousands of dissidents have been arrested or detained and the military is battling armed rebel groups across the country. Besides, according to a local non-governmental organization, more than 2,100 civilians have been killed and nearly 15,000 arrested.

A spokesman for the British embassy in Yangon said: “We are concerned about the arrest of a British woman in Myanmar. We are in contact with the local authorities and are offering her consular support.”

Bowman served as ambassador to Myanmar from 2002 to 2006, and has lived in the country since 1990. Her husband Thein Lin is one of Myanmar’s best-known artists and activist, who spent 6.5 years (from 1998 to in 2004) in prison for his opposition to the previous junta.

SOURCE: AMPE