He said on Friday that Britain will allow the recalled Myanmar ambassador to stay until he is expelled by his own embassy to decide his future. The country’s military government earlier announced that the state of emergency could be extended.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We condemn the way the Burmese army barred its ambassador from entering the embassy last night.”
“We pay tribute to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage because he supports the people of Myanmar. Given the violence against Mr. Minn, we are working hard to ensure that he can live safely in the UK until he decides on his long-term future, the ministry said.
In Myanmar, military spokesman Zaw Min Tun said that the one-year state of emergency imposed by the military during the February coup can be extended, making it impossible to conduct elections a year later.
He did not give a clear election timetable, but said that the state of emergency may be extended to six months or more, excerpted from an interview with CNN on Thursday evening.
He said that according to the country’s constitution, free and fair elections must be held within two years, but he also said: “Myanmar’s democratic standards will be different from Western countries.”
Zaw Min Tun also stated that there was “conclusive evidence” of election fraud, but did not provide CNN with any fraudulent evidence allegedly used by the military as a reason for governing.
The civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned by the military in a February coup after her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won the election by an overwhelming majority. Local observers said the vote was credible.
The military action provoked protests across the country, which were forcibly suppressed by soldiers.
According to statistics from the Association of Non-profit Political Prisoners (AAPP), nearly 2,850 people were arrested and at least 598 people were killed, including 49 children.
Zaw Min Tun said the security forces used “minimal force” on the protesters.
A military government spokesperson said: “When the riots were stopped, people died, but we did not shoot without discipline.”
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