Former British envoy Bowman released from Myanmar prison

London, The Gulf Observer: The UK’s former ambassador to Myanmar Vicky Bowman, who was jailed for allegedly breaching immigration laws, has been released.

Ms Bowman and her husband, Burmese artist Htein Lin, were among a number of prisoners released “under amnesty” to mark the country’s National Victory Day.

In September, the pair were sentenced to a year in prison for “failing to register as living at a different address” – a violation of the country’s Immigration Act.

Ms Bowman was the British ambassador to Myanmar between 2002 and 2006 and has more than three decades’ experience in the country.

At the time of their detention, she was running an organisation that promotes ethical business practices in Myanmar.

The imprisonment of the foreign nationals had been a source of friction between Myanmar’s leaders and their home governments, which had been lobbying for their release.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organisation, 16,232 people have been detained on political charges in Myanmar since the army ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February last year.