Irrawaddy-July 18
The Myanmar regime has deepened its diplomatic isolation from the West by expelling the head of the British Embassy in Yangon “for not presenting his credentials to the junta.” Pete Vowles, who has become the first international envoy to be forced to leave the country, was named Britain’s ambassador and took up his appointment in Myanmar in August 2021 but London decided to downgrade Vowles’ title from ambassador to chargé d’affaires ad interim due to the coup and the regime’s atrocities against its own people. After traveling to Thailand, the envoy was denied a visa to re-enter Myanmar and stranded in the neighboring country for months, before being allowed back in late last month. Vowles tweeted on Wednesday that his time in the country had come to an abrupt end, saying “Sad & sorry to have been forced by the junta to leave but glad we didn’t cave to pressure to legitimize their brutal coup.” The regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on Thursday that Vowles had only been allowed back into the country to “collect personal belongings” from June 21 to July 15 and left as his visa was about to expire. The ministry said the envoy had to leave the country as the Myanmar “government” (as the military regime refers to itself) had acted in accordance with diplomatic practices as a sovereign state. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/specials/junta-watch/junta-watch-russias-half-hearted-embrace-is-better-than-none-british-envoy-gets-the-boot-and-more.html
