Regime Renews Push to Oust Myanmar’s UN Ambassador

Having secured Beijing’s support for reinstating its place at the United Nations, the junta has renewed demands for the UN to swiftly approve its chosen envoy to replace current ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun.

In its second open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a week, the regime published a plea in its mouthpiece, Myanma Alin, on Wednesday urging him to remove U Kyaw Moe Tun and appoint its nominee as Myanmar’s permanent representative.

The move comes after coup leader Min Aung Hlaing’s state visit to Beijing in mid-June, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged support for Myanmar’s “full, equal and constructive participation” in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and UN processes, defending what he called the country’s “legitimate rights and interests.”

Pro-military social media networks have also amplified calls for U Kyaw Moe Tun’s removal in recent days.

On June 26, junta Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe summoned representatives of UN agencies in Myanmar to Naypyitaw, urging them to continue cooperating with the country while avoiding what he described as “interference.” According to the regime’s latest article, Tin Maung Swe accused UN Special Envoy Julie Bishop—who has repeatedly condemned the junta’s rights abuses—of abusing her position to target Myanmar, and warned the UN agencies not to echo her criticism.

In the article, the junta claims the new administration is eager to “enhance cooperation” at the upcoming UN General Assembly. Yet much of the commentary is devoted to personal attacks on U Kyaw Moe Tun and attempts to discredit the National Unity Government and People’s Defense Forces.

U Kyaw Moe Tun was appointed as Myanmar’s permanent representative under the civilian government and famously defied the coup in February 2021 by denouncing the junta from the UN podium. The UN has continued to recognize him, while excluding the junta from formal participation due to its violent repression of the population.

This has been a source of humiliation and anger for the regime, which has repeatedly pressured U Kyaw Moe Tun to resign and vacate his New York residence. The regime even fired him from the Foreign Ministry and stripped him of his citizenship. In 2021, US prosecutors revealed a plot to assassinate him in New York, allegedly linked to junta sympathizers.

At the time, the junta’s removal requests failed, partly because China initially distanced itself from the regime in the immediate post-coup period. Now, with Xi’s endorsement, the regime has revived its campaign to oust him and install its own envoy.

Despite its efforts, however, the UN has not recognized the junta’s staged election or its rebranded administration. At a UN meeting on Sunday, U Kyaw Moe Tun again urged the international community to invoke the Responsibility to Protect doctrine in its handling of the Myanmar military regime and called on the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing.