Vicky Bowman, Britain’s former ambassador to Myanmar, jailed for immigration offences
Nicola Smith
Fri, 2 September 2022 at 2:11 pm·3-min read
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Aung San Suu Kyi
Current State Counsellor of Myanmar and Leader of the National League for Democracy
Vicky Bowman served as ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation from 2002 to 2006 - Brent Lewin
Myanmar’s junta on Friday sentenced the UK’s former ambassador and her husband to one year in prison after charging them with immigration offences that their supporters fear are politically motivated.
Vicky Bowman, who served as ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation from 2002 to 2006, and Htein Lin, her Burmese artist husband, were arrested last week in their apartment in the commercial capital Yangon.
The military alleged that they had broken the law as the address linked to Ms Bowman’s visa did not match her residence, which they claimed was a breach of the immigration act. Her husband was arrested for facilitating the move.
Vicky Bowman
The couple’s arrest occurred as the UK introduced new sanctions against the military regime on the fifth anniversary of its brutal crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority, for which if faces accusations of genocide.
During the first few months of its clearance operations in Rakhine State, more than 6,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee arson, arbitrary execution and gangrape.
Relations between the UK and Myanmar have also deteriorated since the junta seized power and ousted the elected government, detaining civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in a 2021 coup.
Earlier on Friday, a miltary-run court also sentenced Ms Suu Kyi to a further three years in jail on election fraud charges.
Activists fear Ms Bowman and her husband could be victims of hostage diplomacy.
At the time of her arrest, the former diplomat, who speaks fluent Burmese, was running the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business.
The Natural Sciences graduate from the University of Cambridge previously held diplomatic roles in Brussels where she worked for Chris Patten, the former European commissioner, and as a press spokesperson for the UK Representation.
Her husband Htein Lin is one of Myanmar's most famous artists and a veteran activist who spent 6.5 years, between 1998 and 2004, in prison for his opposition to an earlier junta.
Teenage daughter 'remains safe and well'
The couple have a 14-year-old daughter whom a source said remained “safe and well”.But their family has expressed concern about the conditions they are being held in.
A close relative, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Telegraph last week, said the family had been unable to visit although they were permitted to deliver food and medicine.
“The Myanmar prison will be a disgusting place to live for any human being,” said the relative.
Ms Bowman and her husband join more than 15,000 people who have been arrested since the coup, of which more than 12,000 still remain in detention, according to the Assistant Association for Political Prisoners group tracking human rights abuses in Myanmar.
“Since the coup, we have seen activists, artists, journalists, students, business owners, and medical professionals arbitrarily detained and jailed by the military on the slightest pretext,” said Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for campaigns.
“The latest reports on the conviction of the former UK ambassador and her Burmese artist husband are extremely concerning. Myanmar’s military has a notorious track record of arresting and jailing people on politically motivated or trumped-up charges.”
An FCDO spokesperson said: “We will continue to support Ms Bowman and her family until their case is resolved.”
