Embassy event in UK cancelled after call for boycott and accountability; Don’t Let the World Forget Myanmar

Embassy event in UK cancelled after call for boycott

Burma Campaign UK welcomed news on Thursday that a planned “open dialogue” event for diplomats hosted by the Burma Embassy in London, England, had been cancelled. The Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP), a U.K.-based organization bringing cases under universal jurisdiction against the military regime in Naypyidaw, called for a boycott by sending letters to various country’s ambassadors asking them not to attend.

MAP works with Burma Campaign UK to raise awareness about the need for international justice in Burma since the 2021 coup. “This is a humiliation for the military-controlled embassy in London,” Minn Tent Bo, advocacy officer at Burma Campaign UK, said in a press release. “It was ridiculous that they ever thought they could get away with holding an open dialogue event when open dialogue is banned in Burma,” he added.

Chris Gunness, the MAP director, called for targeted sanctions and accountability measures against the regime in Naypyidaw, warning that engagement with it, via embassy events, risked emboldening further human rights abuses in Burma. The May 14 press release stated that a protest to denounce the regime’s “propaganda offensive” was scheduled to take place outside the Burma Embassy in London on Thursday.

Food and water still ‘expensive’ while fuel price falls

Residents of Yangon Region told DVB that prices for basic commodities such as rice and drinking water have not fallen despite fuel prices declining for three consecutive weeks. The price of a 20-liter bottle of purified water rose from 1,000-2,500 MMK ($0.23-0.59 USD) since April due to fuel supply disruptions linked to the war in Iran, which began on Feb. 28, with no sign of a price drop.

“Our family has to be frugal even with water,” a Yangon resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. One 50 kg bag of premium rice increased 160,000-190,000 MMK ($38-45 USD) and lower-grade rice varieties 60,000-90,000 MMK ($14-21 USD) since the third week of March, according to residents. Other basic food items, including cooking oil, meat and vegetables, show no sign of a significant price drop, residents added.

One litre of 92-octane gasoline slightly decreased 4,668-4,500 MMK ($1.11-1.07 USD) with 95-octane gasoline falling 4,909-4,650 MMK ($1.16-1.10 USD). Diesel prices went down 5,752-5,050 MMK ($1.36-1.20 USD) per liter for regular and 7,012-6,070 MMK ($1.66-1.44 USD) for premium from April 29 to May 14, according to the regime Petroleum Products Regulatory Department.