Myanmar has refused to issue a visa to the British diplomatic representative to the country, Peter Vowles, who is currently stranded in Thailand.

According to Mr Vowles Twitter feed he will not be returning to the country.

He tweeted: 'My time in Myanmar comes to an abrupt end today. Sad ' sorry to have been forced by the junta to leave but glad we didn’t cave to pressure to legitimise their brutal coup.'

Mr Vowles took up his appointment in Myanmar on 21 August 2021. But, rather than appointing an ambassador to Myanmar the British Government decided to downgrade the head of its embassy to a Chargé d'Affaires ad Interim.

Normally, when an ambassador is appointed to a country, they formally present their credentials to the country's governing body or head of state. But, ever since his arrival Mr Vowles had refused to present his credentials to the junta's governing body, the State Administration Council (SAC), despite repeated requests from the SAC.

Mr Vowles left the country in February for regional consultations and has been refused re-entry since then. In April the SAC informed Britain that it would not accept Mr Vowles but would consider alternative candidates, according to Nikkei Asia who said that the job of head of mission to Myanmar is now being advertised on the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) internal website.