Activists and opposition politicians claim the recent arrest of former British ambassador Vicky Bowman in Yangon is “hostage diplomacy” as the Myanmar junta releases details of the charges against her.
Bowman, who served as British ambassador to Myanmar from 2002 to 2006, was arrested Wednesday evening at her Yangon apartment along with her husband, Htein Lin, a renowned Burmese artist.
According to the State Administration Council (SAC), Bowman and her husband were arrested on immigration charges.
They were registered as staying at Pan Hlaing housing in Sanchaung Township. However, they lived at Htein Lin's home in Kalaw Township, Shan State from March 4, 2021 to August 9, 2022. By failing to apply for a change of address on the foreigner's registration certificate during such relocation, it was found that Bowman had violated Section 11(2) (a) (b) of the 1948 Registration of Foreigners Rules and violated Section 5(b) of the said law. She had also violated Section 4(2) of the Myanmar Immigration Act of 1947 and 13(1) of the said law was found to have been committed, according to the SAC information team.
Htein Lin was found to have committed a violation of Section 13(e) of the Myanmar Immigration Act of 1947 by knowing that his wife had changed her address and helped her to continue living, contrary to the existing law, according to the team.
Conviction under these charges can lead to imprisonment of up to five years.
The arrests came shortly after the UK government announced new sanctions against the Myanmar junta and also offered their backing for the court case against the Myanmar military being held in the Hague over the alleged “genocide” against the Muslim Rohingya in Rakhine State.
At this stage, there is no indication that the actions of the UK government and the arrests are directly linked.
“They’re trying to create a hostage situation, a kind of hostage diplomacy,” said Moe Zaw Oo, deputy foreign minister for the National Unity Government (NUG), speaking to the Washington Post.
He said the junta is borrowing from the playbook of other authoritarian regimes, notably Russia, which continues to hold Americans, including WNBA player Brittney Griner, whom the US State Department considers to be wrongfully detained.
