Vicky Bowman: Who is the former UK ambassador being released by Myanmar in amnesty?

At the time of her arrest, Bowman was serving as the director of Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, which aims to promote ethical business practices in the country

Vicky Bowman, former British ambassador to Myanmar will be released from prison (Sky News / YouTube)

Vicky  Bowman, former British ambassador to Myanmar, is among the nearly 6000 people who will be released from prison by the military junta, it was announced.

Australian academic Sean Turnell and Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota too shall be released after months in a Myanmar prison.

On Thursday, when the country celebrated its National Day, the local state-run television MRTV announced that the junta had finalised a list of some 6000 prisoners — 5,774 men and 676 women — who will be granted amnesty on “humanitarian grounds”.

Last year on 1 February the military junta seized control of the government and arrested thousands of people, including activists, academicians, journalists, and anyone voicing an anti-junta opinion.

Ms Bowman, 56, served as the UK ambassador to Yangon from 2002 to 2006. She and her husband, activist Htein Lin, were detained in September this year on charges that they violated immigration laws of the country.

She was accused of failing to register her residence when she and her husband moved from their address in the capital Yangon to the Kalaw township of Taunggyi district.

Prior to her ambassadorship, Ms Bowman had also served as second secretary in the UK embassy in Myanmar from 1990 to 1993.

According to the Pembroke College official website, where Ms Bowman is an alumna, she has also worked in Brussels as Member of Cabinet of European Commissioner from 1999 to 2002. She worked as a press spokesperson for the UK representation to the EU from 1996 to 1999.

Since July 2013, Ms Bowman has also been the director of Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, which aims to promote ethical business practices in Myanmar.

The arrest of Ms Bowman in September came soon after the UK announced new sanctions against companies that were linked to Myanmar’s military junta.

Several activists called her and her husband’s arrests “politically motivated” and seen as an attempt by the military junta to assert its power.

Ms Bowman was sentenced to one year in prison.

After seizing control of Myanmar last year in February, the military junta also detained the Nobel laureate and head of the democratically elected government at the time, Aung San Suu Kyi. She has already been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison over several charges. She has, however, denied all allegations against her.

Ms Bowman has a BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge which she attended from 1984-1987. She was the first female president of Pembroke’s junior parlour in 1986.

Ms Bowman was also the director of Global & Economic Issues, G8 Sous-Sherpa for the United Kingdom from 2008-2011, and head of the Southern Africa Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK Government from 2006-2007.

Meanwhile, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) in Myanmar says that at least 16,232 people have been detained since the junta took over.

On Wednesday, a day before the announcement of amnesty,  13,015 were still in detention, according to the AAPP. It claims that 2,465 civilians have been killed by security forces since the junta took over.