A United States diplomat has been found dead in Myanmar’s largest city, according to the US Department of State, and three members of the diplomatic community in Yangon say a Thai woman has been detained by police in connection with the investigation.

The US State Department confirmed to the Associated Press news agency on Wednesday that a US diplomat serving at the US Embassy in Yangon had died. The department did not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the person’s death or its cause.

“Out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones, we have no further information to provide at this time,” it said.

According to three people in the diplomatic community in Myanmar, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the case, Myanmar police are treating the death as a possible murder.

They said the person was found dead two weeks ago at a hotel about 1.5 kilometres (one mile) from the US Embassy.

The facility, with long-term rentals, is popular with diplomats, business people and other international visitors.

Myanmar police have not publicly commented on the case.

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said it has provided consular assistance to the woman in custody and notified her family, but would not comment further.

Situation in Myanmar.

Myanmar is in the midst of a civil war that began more than five years ago when the country’s democratically elected government was overthrown in a military coup.

The military leadership that now governs Myanmar is estimated to control just 21 percent of the country after years of fighting against ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy forces.

More than 96,000 people have been killed, according to the international monitor the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). At least 3.6 million have been displaced, according to the United Nations. 

In April, former leader Aung San Suu Kyi was moved to house arrest after President Min Aung Hlaing pardoned and commuted the sentences of thousands of prisoners. Suu Kyi, age 80, still has 13 years of detention remaining. (Al Jazeera)

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The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career diplomats, including the U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, as it moves to reshape America’s diplomatic posture abroad with personnel deemed fully supportive of Donald Trump’s “America First” priorities.

According to two State Department officials, the chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their tenures would end in January. All had taken up their posts during the Biden administration but survived an initial purge in the early months of Trump’s second term that targeted mainly political appointees. Notices of their imminent departures were issued from Washington on Wednesday.

Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president, typically for three to four years, but those affected by the shakeup will return to Washington for other assignments if they choose. The State Department defended the changes as “a standard process in any administration,” noting that ambassadors are personal representatives of the president and must advance the “America First” agenda.

Africa is the most affected region, with 13 ambassadorial removals, followed by six in the Asia-Pacific, four in Europe, two each in the Middle East and South Asia—including Nepal and Sri Lanka—and two in the Western Hemisphere. Politico first reported the recalls, which have sparked concern among lawmakers and the union representing American diplomats. (The Guardian)

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Five new envoys have presented their credentials to President Anura Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.

Three Ambassadors and two High Commissioners presented their Letters of Credence to the President this morning (13). 

The envoys who presented their credentials are:

1. Ms. Isabelle Marie Catherine Martin, High Commissioner of Canada, based in Colombo.
2. Mr. Wiebe Jakob De Boer, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, based in Colombo.
3. Mr. Matthew John Duckworth, High Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Australia, based in Colombo.
4. Mr. Abdenor Khelifi, Ambassador of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, based in New Delhi.
5. Mr. Benedikt Höskuldsson, Ambassador of the Republic of Iceland, based in New Delhi.

During the ceremony, President Dissanayake welcomed the newly accredited envoys and extended his best wishes for the strengthening of bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and their respective countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath and Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, were also present at the occasion. (Newswire)

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