A Myanmar national living in New York has been convicted of conspiring to attack Myanmar’s ambassador to the U.N. for defying the military junta that took over the country last year.
Myanmar national and New York resident Phyo Hein Htut was a volunteer in a security detail for Myanmar’s U.N. mission was convicted for his role in the plot.
The ambassador, U Kyaw Moe Tun, remained loyal to the civilian administration after the February 2021 coup d’etat in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. He refused to step down even after being charged with high treason in absentia by the junta.
The court found that Htut conspired with fellow Myanmar national and New York resident Ye Hein Zaw as well as a Thailand-based arms supplier for Myanmar’s military; they aimed to hire attackers to assault Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun to induce him to step down, thereby allowing the junta to fill his post.
According to prosecutors, if Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun did not agree to step down, the attackers were to kill him.
They hatched the plot between February 2021 through at least Aug. 5, 2021.
Htut supplied the arms dealer, unnamed by the Justice Department, with information on the inner workings of Myanmar’s U.N. mission. The arms dealer, in exchange, was to forward Htut money to hire the assailants, using Zaw as a middleman.
Shortly after the plan was set, Zaw forwarded Htut a $4,000 advance for hiring the attackers. Later, in a recorded phone conversation, according to prosecutors, Zaw agreed to send Htut another $1,000 for the planned attack, which was to take place in New York’s Westchester County.
Zaw pleaded guilty on Dec. 10, 2021, to one count of conspiracy to assault and make a violent attack on a foreign official. Zaw has since served his sentence and was deported back to Myanmar, according to The Irrawaddy, a news magazine published by Burmese exiles in Thailand.
Htut would go on to confess the scheme to the Myanmar U.N. mission, aborting the planned attack. Htut faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on March 14, 2024.
While Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun urged the case to be tried in American court as it happened on American soil, he did thank Htut for confessing to the caper.
“I thanked him as he did not carry out the plot and informed us about it. … We all need to work to ensure justice prevails not only in the United States, but also in Myanmar. If we work collectively and in a united way in the fight against the evil actions of the military dictators, we will be able to end the military dictatorship.” Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun told The Irrawaddy.
Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun continues to serve as Myanmar’s ambassador to the U.N.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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