MYANMAR JUNTA LOCKS OUT ENVOY TO LONDON; YANGON ACTOR NABBED

Myanmar's military leaders turned their sights on Thursday to the country's ambassador to London and a famous actor as they continued to try to quell protests more than two months after claiming power in a coup, Isobel Frodsham and Carola Fretzen reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Britain's foreign secretary criticized the Myanmar military after the country's ambassador to Britain was locked out of the London embassy. "We condemn the bullying actions of the Myanmar military regime in London yesterday, and I pay tribute to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage," Dominic Raab tweeted on Thursday.

"The UK continues to call for an end to the coup and the appalling violence, and a swift restoration of democracy," he added.

The move comes after Zwar Minn spoke out against the military's February 1 coup. He called for the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained by the military in the February coup, after her party won an election by a landslide.

The military's actions have prompted widespread protests, to which soldiers have responded with a violent crackdown on the population, killing 598 people. Zwar Minn was denied entry to the building on Wednesday night in what he described as a "coup" by the "Myanmar military."

"They are refusing to let me inside," he told the Telegraph newspaper. "They said they received instruction from the capital, so they are not going to let me in."

Meanwhile, Myanmar's military arrested famous actor Paing Takhon at his mother's house in Yangon on Thursday, local media reported. Soldiers arrived with eight military vehicles to take the 24-year-old actor, who participated in protests against the junta, into custody, according to the reports.

Takhon had also spoken out against the military coup on social media, where he has millions of followers. The military had previously released a list of arrest warrants for 120 celebrities - including artists, social media stars, and journalists - who are considered opponents of the generals and are currently in hiding, The Irrawaddy newspaper reported.

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