Ex-Myanmar Ambassador Pleads Not Guilty, Claims He Remains the Country's Legitimate Envoy

Myanmar's former ambassador to the United Kingdom has gone on trial in London after refusing to leave his official residence following his removal from the post after the country's 2021 military coup.

Kyaw Zwar Minn, 68, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday charged with trespass at Myanmar House in north-west London. The charge covers the period from May 2021 to November 2024, after Minn was recalled as ambassador and instructed to hand over state-owned property. He has pleaded not guilty.

Minn disputes the authority of Myanmar's military authorities to terminate his right to occupy the residence, with his defence arguing that the post-coup government was illegitimate and could not lawfully order him to leave. Prosecutors maintain that his diplomatic status was properly withdrawn and that his opposition to the military authorities does not provide a defence to the charge.

Minn Challenges Removal

The dispute began after Myanmar's military takeover in February 2021, when Minn publicly opposed the coup and called for the release of detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He was locked out of Myanmar's embassy in London in April and subsequently replaced by representatives of the military authorities.

Minn has previously said he spent a night sleeping in his car outside the embassy after his deputy and a military attaché changed the locks. He later returned to the ambassadorial residence, where he remained despite being instructed to leave.

Defence counsel David Perry told the court that the military authorities did not have the legal power to terminate Minn's right to occupy the property.

'The military authorities could not lawfully terminate his licence at the address ... and nor could they legitimately use the property,' Perry said, according to reports.

Prosecution Says Residence Had To Be Vacated

Prosecutor Louise Oakley told the court that Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally recalled Minn shortly after the coup and instructed him to hand over state-owned properties by mid-April 2021. The UK's Foreign Office also told Minn that he was required to leave the ambassadorial residence after his diplomatic position was terminated, the prosecution said.

Oakley argued that Minn's permission to occupy Myanmar House was tied to his position as ambassador and ended when he was removed from the role. His refusal to leave after being removed meant he was guilty of 'diplomatic trespass,' she told the court.

Prosecutors argued that Minn's view of Myanmar's military authorities was irrelevant to the trespass proceedings. Although the UK does not formally recognise the military government, the prosecution said that did not provide a legal defence against the charge.

Court Hears Diplomatic Dispute

The case centres on whether Minn's permission to occupy Myanmar House was lawfully terminated after he was removed as ambassador.

The prosecution maintains that Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had the authority to recall Minn and end his right to live at the property. The defence disputes that authority and argues that the military authorities could not lawfully terminate his licence.

The court must now consider whether the order for Minn to leave legally ended his right to remain at the residence. The trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court is continuing.