Defections rattle Myanmar embassy in US

US: Myanmar's embassy to Washington has been rattled by two defections of senior diplomats in an embarrassment for the military-backed regime which wants to show the world that it is evolving.

Kyaw Win, who had been the second-ranking diplomat at the embassy, told AFP in an interview that he had grown tired of waiting for change in his country and voiced admiration for pro-democracy opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

Kyaw Win defected on July 4.

The embassy's number four, Soe Aung, applied for asylum in the United States the following week; according to several sources, he made the decision as he was about to be escorted home as part of an investigation into the first diplomat's defection.

The chaos at the embassy comes despite efforts by leaders in Myanmar, also known as Burma, to show a stable political transition. A ruling junta held elections in November and afterward officially handed over to civilian rule.

Western governments and opposition leaders believe that the changes are only cosmetic. AFP