Myanmar's newly-appointed ambassador to the United Nations has resigned, saying that his predecessor — who was fired by the military junta — continues to represent the country, a UN spokesman said Thursday, the latest twist in a diplomatic row.

The military, which ousted Myanmar's civilian leaders and seized power in the Southeast Asian nation on February 1, had fired Kyaw Moe Tun on Saturday, a day after he spectacularly broke with the junta and pleaded with the General Assembly for help to restore democracy.

The generals appointed his deputy, Tin Maung Naing, in his place.

But on Thursday UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Myannmar's mission had sent a communication informing the body that Tin Maung Naing "has submitted his letter of resignation … recalling that Mr Kyaw Moe Tun remains the permanent representative of Myanmar to the United Nations."

The move came after a stand-off which saw Kyaw Moe Tun write to the president of the UN General Assembly on Monday to insist the coup was "unlawful" and therefore the military had no authority to remove him.

"I wish therefore to confirm to you that I remain Myanmar's permanent representative to the United Nations," he added.

On Tuesday, Myanmar's foreign ministry sent a note verbale to the UN, claiming Kyaw Moe Tun had been removed.

That day Dujarric said the UN was taking a look at the two "contradictory" letters, as the body stressed the unusual nature of the situation and said UN accreditation and protocol committees would look into the issue.

They could ultimately refer it to the General Assembly for a simple majority vote.

The decision is far-reaching because it means whether or not to recognize who wields power in Myanmar.

Since Tuesday, Kyaw Moe Tun has held meetings with his counterpart from the European Union and the representative of the United States, who reiterated their support.

UK PM 'horrified' by escalation of Myanmar violence
London (AFP) March 4, 2021 –

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday he was "horrified" by the escalation of violence in Myanmar and called for an end to military repression in the country.

"We stand with the people of Myanmar in calling for an immediate end to military repression, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and others, and the restoration of democracy," Johnson said on Twitter, referring to Myanmar's de-facto leader who was detained in a February coup.

Johnson also condemned the killing of dozens of pro-democracy protesters on Wednesday in the deadliest day in Myanmar since the military takeover and the subsequent crackdown.

Britain, the former colonial power in Myanmar, has repeatedly condemned repression and rights abuses by the junta after leading generals swiftly ended a decade-long experiment with democracy.

Foreign minister Dominic Raab later tweeted about the "terrible scenes in Myanmar.

"Targeting your own people with lethal force for simply exercising their right to peaceful protest is unacceptable. The ongoing violence and the intimidation must end," he wrote.

The military takeover triggered mass uprisings against the army generals, which have been met with deadly force.

Last week, Britain imposed sanctions on six members of Myanmar's military junta, including commander-in-chief General Min Aung Hlaing.

The sanctions will prevent the six from travelling to Britain, while British businesses and institutions are barred from dealing with them.

The same curbs had already been imposed on 19 other military figures.

UK aid that could be used to indirectly support the junta has also been suspended.