BANGKOK – Myanmar’s military regime fired the country’s ambassador to the United Nations on Saturday, the day after he delivered a passionate speech at the UN General Assembly in Geneva, calling for international help to restore democracy in his country.
The ambassador, U Kyaw Moe Tun, ended his speech with a three-finger salute, a gesture from the “Hunger Games” films that has become a symbol of a pro-democratic challenge for protesters in Myanmar and, before that, in neighboring Thailand.
State television announced his resignation, saying he “betrayed the country and spoke for an unofficial organization that does not represent the country and abused the power and responsibilities of an ambassador”.
Kyaw Moe Tun’s speech boosted Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, which has been protesting every day since February 1, when the military took control of the country through a coup, and turned into a civil disobedience movement with hundreds of thousands of people quitting their jobs.
Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun was appointed by the civilian government that shared power with the military before the coup and was out of Myanmar when the coup occurred.
In his speech to the UN, he challenged the new military rulers and urged the world body to “use all necessary means to act against the military in Myanmar” and bring democracy back.
“We need the strongest possible action by the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing innocent people, to return state power to the people and restore democracy,” he said.
He said he spoke on behalf of the deposed civilian government, headed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the morning of the coup.
Before the resignation of the ambassador, Antony J. Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, tweeted praise for what he called a “bold and clear” speech of Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun.
“We must all respond to his call to restore democracy in Burma,” he said of the protesters, referring to Myanmar by its previous name.
In recent days, pro-democracy voices like Kyaw Moe Tun have been competing with Myanmar’s generals for international recognition.
The board sent its newly appointed foreign minister, U Wunna Maung Lwin, to Bangkok to meet Thailand’s foreign minister, Don Pramudwinai, and Indonesian foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, who is leading efforts among Southeast Asian nations to seek a peaceful solution to the crisis in Myanmar.
Retno also met with destitute members of Myanmar’s parliament from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, who fled to Thailand and who are trying to form a government and gain international legitimacy. Ms. Retno called on all sides to exercise restraint and avoid violence.
But on Saturday, protests took place again in Myanmar, including in the northwestern city of Monywa, where hundreds of people were arrested, witnesses said. Police opened fire on the crowd and wounded two, according to a volunteer doctor.
In Yangon, the country’s largest city, thousands gathered at demonstrations in various locations. The police used tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse the crowds and chased the protesters through the streets, beating and arresting those who could be caught. Some policemen appeared to be targeting journalists and people who were recording videos with their phones or broadcasting the events live.