Myanmar junta fires two diplomats in Japan for opposing coup

Tokyo, May 20 (EFE).- The Myanmar military junta has fired two diplomats at its Tokyo embassy after they boycotted their duties in protest of the Feb. 1 coup and violence against protesters, Kyodo News reported Thursday, citing unnamed diplomatic sources.

The dismissals follow the junta’s actions against envoys in the United States, the United Kingdom and at the United Nations, among others, for going against the military.

In the case of the envoys to Japan, Myanmar’s foreign ministry has withdrawn their diplomatic status and passports, and revoked their access to the diplomatic compound where they resided, Kyodo said.

They have been living separately in Tokyo with the help of Myanmar expats, it added.

The two diplomats have asked the Japanese authorities to maintain their visas in the country as diplomats appointed by the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was arrested in the coup and has been held in detention since.

Meanwhile, the junta has applied for diplomatic visas for military-appointed replacements, Kyodo reported.

The government of Japan has urged the military junta to cease violence against protesters and release Suu Kyi and other politicians detained in the country, as well as requesting it to restore democracy.

However, Tokyo has so far not opted to impose sanctions and has limited itself to freezing most of the economic aid that it contributes to the country.

The military crackdown since the coup has left more than 800 dead in Myanmar, while 5,210 people have been detained and arrest warrants have been issued for another 1,699, according to the latest data from the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners. EFE

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