Myanmar state television said Ms Bowman and her husband, the Burmese artist Htein Lin, were among several prisoners released “under amnesty”. In September, the pair were sentenced to a year in prison for “failing to register as living at a different address” – a breach of the country’s immigration law. Ms Bowman was Britain’s ambassador to Myanmar between 2002 and 2006 and has more than three decades of experience in the country. At the time of their detention, he ran an organization that promotes ethical business practices in Myanmar. Image: Vicky Bowman and her husband Htein Lin in his studio. Photo: Sarah Lee/Guardian/Eyevine Government spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun told Voice of Myanmar and Yangon Media Group that Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota and Australian economist Sean Turnell, as well as an unidentified American, were also released and deported. Mr Turnell, 58, an associate professor of economics at Sydney’s Macquarie University, was arrested by security forces at a hotel in Yangon. He was sentenced in September to three years in prison for violating the country’s Official Secrets Act and immigration law. Mr Kubota, a 26-year-old documentary filmmaker based in Tokyo, was arrested in July by plainclothes police in Yangon after taking images and video of a small demonstration against the military occupation last year. He was convicted last month of incitement to participate in the protest and other charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The reported release of the three was said to be part of a prisoner amnesty to mark the country’s National Victory Day. Image: Aung San Suu Kyi Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains in prison in the country after being sentenced on the same day as Ms Bowman to three more years in prison – adding to the 17 years she is already serving for a range of offences, including alleged election fraud. Ms Suu Kyi’s party won the country’s 2020 general election in a landslide, but the military seized power from the elected government on February 1, 2021, saying it acted because of alleged widespread voter fraud. Sky News has contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for comment.
