Former British ambassador to Myanmar reportedly detained

A former British ambassador to Myanmar who now heads a business ethics advisory group in the Southeast Asian country has been arrested.
Myanmar Now, an online news service, said in a report, Vicky Bowman, who served as the British envoy in 2002-2006, was detained Wednesday night and taken to Yangon’s Insein Prison. It said her husband, Myanmar artist Htein Lin, was also detained.
The report cited sources close to Bowman’s family as saying she was expected to be charged with violating Myanmar’s Immigration Act. Myanmar Now, like most of the country’s independent media, is forced to operate underground because of tight controls imposed by the military government.
A friend of Htein Lin, who asked that her name not be used because of fear of government reprisal, told The Associated Press that they were taken by security forces on Wednesday while they were temporarily staying in Yangon. She said they had been living for years in Kalaw township in Shan state in eastern Myanmar.
The reason for their reported detention was not immediately known. The Immigration Act has provisions that can provide an excuse for holding foreign visitors for violating the terms of their visas.
Since 2013, Bowman has been heading the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, which says its goals include the promotion of human rights through responsible business in Myanmar.