Britain's former Myanmar envoy detained in Yangon
Created: 25 August 2022


NAYPYIDAW, Aug 25 (CGTN) - Authorities in Myanmar have detained Britain's former ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation, according to media reports on Thursday.

Vicky Bowman, who runs the Myanmar Center for Responsible Business, served as ambassador of the UK to Myanmar from 2002-2006 and as second secretary in the embassy from 1990-1993.

Her husband, an artist from Myanmar, was also detained on Wednesday, Reuters said, citing two people with knowledge of the situation.

The cause of their detention is currently unclear, but Myanmar's local news website The Irrawaddy said Bowman was arrested under the Immigration Act. There was no mention of her husband.

The British Embassy in Yangon later said it was concerned about the arrest of a British woman.
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Former UK ambassador Vicky Bowman jailed in Myanmar for violating immigration laws
Posted 3h ago
3 hours ago
A court in military-ruled Myanmar has sentenced a former British ambassador to the South East Asian nation to a year in prison for failing to register her residence.

A diplomat following her case, independent media in the country and the website of BBC's Myanmar-language service reported the court's action.
The diplomat said former envoy Vicky Bowman's husband, a Myanmar national, was also given a one-year sentence for the same offence.
The diplomat insisted on not being identified because he was not authorised to release such information.

Neither Myanmar's military government nor the British embassy have publicly confirmed the court's action.

Since 2013, Ms Bowman has been heading the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, a business ethics advisory group that says its goals include the promotion of human rights through responsible business in Myanmar.

The charge against Ms Bowman has been widely seen as a pretext for cracking down on her for views the government may have considered critical, although her business was operated as a consultancy and did not play a notably vocal role in public affairs.

Responding to reports of the sentencing, Britain's Foreign Office in London said Friday, "We will continue to support Ms Bowman and her family until their case is resolved".

The couple were arrested on August 24, the military government announced last week.

It said Ms Bowman, who served as the British envoy in 2002 to 2006, was detained for failing to inform the authorities last year when she and her husband moved from their registered address in Yangon to Kalaw township in Shan state in east-central Myanmar.

They were arrested during a trip back to Yangon, the country's biggest city.

It said she and her husband, Htein Lin, were charged under the Immigration Act and the Foreigners Registration Rules.

Ms Bowman, who has applied for a visa to do business in Myanmar, was charged with breaching visa rules because she did not comply with regulations governing foreigners, the statement said.

Ms Bowman was liable to six months to five years' imprisonment because of her failure to change the address on her official residence permit registration card, it said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-02/ ... /101402844