Myanmar authorities detain the UK's former ambassador to the country

CHIANG RAI, Thailand — Myanmar authorities detained a British former ambassador and her Burmese husband, a senior military officer in the capital, Naypyidaw, confirmed.

Vickie Bowman and her husband, former political prisoner and artist Htein Lin, were detained on Wednesday. Bowman was arrested for sending information to the activist group Justice for Myanmar and others opposed to military rule, the official said.

Bowman served as ambassador to Myanmar from 2002-2006 and currently is the director at the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business. Her husband Htein Lin is one of Myanmar's most famous artists and is a veteran activist. He has previously spent time in prison for his opposition to an earlier junta.

The military leadership in Myanmar overthrew the elected civilian government in early 2021, jailing many senior members of the government, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Australian economist Sean Turnell, an adviser to Suu Kyi, was arrested days after last year's coup and is being tried along with her on several charges.

The military junta has also clamped down on press freedoms. American journalist Danny Fenster was sentenced to 11 years in November for incitement and other offenses but was released days later and allowed to leave the country. Earlier in August a Japanese journalist was detained in the country and charged with violating immigration law and encouraging dissent against the army.

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