The British government has been accused of softening its stance towards Myanmar’s military-run government by hosting junta representatives.
Human rights campaigners for Myanmar have said the Andy Burnham government has made a “significant shift in approach” after two ministers hosted a junta representative at official meetings in London.
Burma Campaign UK, a London-based human rights organisation, said the UK is “quietly” normalising relations with the sanctioned military-run regime which is trying to seek legitimacy on the global stage after the 2021 military coup.
The details of the meetings had been made public by the junta rather than the British government departments involved, it said.
Myanmar’s general-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing has been on a diplomatic drive, stepping up engagement with world leaders after facing nearly five years of isolation and sanctions following the 2021 military coup.
Min Aung Hlaing led the military seizure of power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, plunging the country into a civil war that has killed thousands of people, according to rights groups.
On 14 October, the foreign office reportedly hosted Win Zeyar Tun, the chargé d'affaires of Myanmar's military-controlled embassy in London. He was among the diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) hosted by Baroness Winterton, the minister responsible for the Indo-Pacific.
Two days later, Win Zeyar Tun attended another meeting with Lord Sonny Leong, the British minister responsible for small business and enterprise, to discuss trade-related issues with Asean diplomats.
Photographs from both meetings were subsequently published by Myanmar's military-controlled foreign ministry.
"International attention has been on US engagement with the Burmese military, but at the same time the British government appears to be quietly normalising relations with the Burmese military regime," said Minn Tent Bo, advocacy officer at Burma Campaign UK.
"There is clearly a policy shift happening from the British government, but they seem unwilling or unable to publicly justify why they are softening their approach to the Burmese military."
The campaign said it handed “another propaganda opportunity” to the military as its leader seeks to end years of international isolation.
While British officials had previously participated in meetings involving Myanmar representatives under Asean arrangements, ministerial-level meetings in government buildings accompanied by publicly released photographs marked a significant departure from the government's earlier approach.
Myanmar's foreign ministry confirmed both meetings in statements published on 19 and 20 October.
According to the ministry, Win Zeyar Tun also called on Britain to reconsider visa restrictions affecting Myanmar students seeking to study in the UK.
The second meeting focused on cooperation between small businesses, investment opportunities and educational partnerships between Britain and Asean countries, it said.
"Inviting a representative of the Burmese military regime to meetings at government departments and being pictured with them is not critical engagement, it is normalisation and acceptance of the military regime," said Minn Tent Bo.
"The British government keep saying it stands with the people of Burma, but they ignore our calls for new sanctions and instead are literally standing with representatives of the Burmese military."
The foreign office, however, denied that the UK’s position and engagement with Myanmar had changed.
“We continue to urge all parties to protect civilians and call on the military regime to end airstrikes against civilians, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and release all those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi,” it told The Independent.
Soon after the 2021 coup, the British government issued a string of sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes on three key figures in the military regime in response to human rights violations.
The government noted “serious human rights violations” by the military regime as the reason of sanctions.
However, no new sanctions have been passed against the military by the British government in almost two years despite escalating human rights violations.
This is despite a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Myanmar, where most of the legitimate and democratically elected leaders are in jail, freedom of the press is curtailed, and both junta and rebel forces have carried out regular strikes on schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
According to the United Nations, almost 20 million people – a third of the population – are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. At least 4 million people are internally displaced. Civil society organisations on the ground – who have more access to the conflict areas than the UN – put the figure much higher, perhaps at five million.
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