Report: Former British diplomat's husband is imprisoned by the Myanmar Junta
A former British ambassador to Myanmar and her husband was sentenced to a year in prison on Friday for violating immigration laws, a diplomatic source told AFP. According to a source with knowledge of the case, Vicky Bowman and her husband, well-known Burmese artist Htein Lin, received one-year sentences apiece. Ms. Bowman, who held the position of an envoy from 2002 to 2006, was taken into custody last month for failing to disclose that she was residing at a different residence than that which was given on her foreigner's registration certificate. Htein Lin was detained for assisting his wife in living at a place other than their legal residence in Yangon's bustling business district. The couple faced a maximum five-year prison sentence. The British foreign ministry has been approached by AFP for comment. Requests for comment from a junta spokeswoman were not met. Ms. Bowman worked as the second counselor at the British embassy from 1990 to 1993 before being appointed ambassador. She is a native speaker of Burmese and currently serves as director of the Myanmar Centre for Sensible Business. Htein Lin was detained and put in jail in 1998 as a result of his opposition to the previous junta's control. Read the full article
