A key diplomat at the Burmese Embassy in the United States said Thursday that he is seeking refuge in the United States in protest of a military coup in Myanmar.
“I have decided to seek refuge in this country because I cannot accept the illegal usurpation of power by the military,” Maung Maung Latt, first secretary at the Burmese embassy in the United States, told the Voice of America’s Burmese desk.
“This is a total injustice that I cannot accept,” he said, “and I am particularly worried about the future of the younger generation in our country.”
Maung Maung Rah said that since President Biden “has made human rights a priority, I hope they will grant me asylum,” but the U.S. government has not yet responded. He said he “fears for [his] safety at this moment.”
Maung Maungla said, “Burmese diplomats around the world are welcoming the coup and some are not.” He urged fellow diplomats to “join the civil disobedience against the military.”
He said the military coup “makes me fear that it will cause serious damage and unbelievable disaster to this country.”
Maung Maung La said he believes senior civilian officials will be replaced by military officers.
Maung Maung La worked at Burma’s embassies in Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand before taking up his post in Washington. He plans to return to Burma next month to retire.
Myanmar’s military staged a coup on Monday, declaring a one-year state of emergency and detaining de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, among others.
The coup comes amid continuing tensions between the Burmese military and the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD). The National League for Democracy won the November election. The military rejected the election results, claiming that the elections were massively fraudulent.
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