The deputy chief of mission, Kyaw Win, 59, confirmed he is leaving his post in protest at what he says are his government's human rights violations and sham elections, and because he is afraid for his and his family's lives.
Mr Win, who declined an interview, sent a letter on Monday to the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in which he laid out his reasons for defecting, talked about his experiences as one of Burma's top diplomats and sided with international human rights groups who have accused the Burmese military for years of abusing their countrymen. The letter was obtained by The Washington Post and confirmed as authentic by Mr Win.
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In the letter, Mr Win said that throughout his 31-year career in the foreign ministry he had held hope for democratic reforms. But after watching the widely criticised elections last year, which largely left the military junta in control, Mr Win said he lost confidence and could not in good conscience continue working for the government.''The truth is that senior military officials are consolidating their grip on power and seeking to stamp out the voices of those seeking democracy, human rights and individual liberties,'' he wrote in his letter. ''Oppression is rising and war against our ethnic cousins is imminent …''
Mr Win's move comes at a sensitive time for the Burmese government. Last weekend the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, travelled outside Rangoon for the first time since her release from house arrest last year.
Ms Suu Kyi and her youngest son, Kim Aris, visited an ancient temple in Bagan, central Burma.
''It's my first holiday in 13 years … We're going to stay here for four days. I'm very happy,'' said the 33-year-old British national, who was reunited with his mother last year after a decade apart.
When Ms Suu Kyi announced her plans to travel, the government warned the trip would result in chaos and that her safety couldn't be guaranteed, a statement some interpreted as a veiled threat. On her last trip outside Rangoon in 2003, her convoy was ambushed by thugs who were later linked to then-ruling generals.
In his letter to the State Department, Mr Win made a note of Suu Kyi's travel, saying the threats against her life ''must be taken seriously.''
The Washington Post, Agence France-Presse
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/burma-diplomat-defects-to-the-us-20110705-1h0t7.html#ixzz1RJQJdGRi
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