BEIJING: Myanmar's ambassador to China died on Sunday, the fourth ambassador to die in China in the past year, according to diplomatic sources.
The ambassador U Myo Thant Pe was last seen meeting with a local official in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, which borders Myanmar, according to a local news report.
Three diplomats briefed on his passing told Reuters he died on Sunday while travelling in Yunnan. Diplomats and one report in Myanmar media said the cause of death is likely to be a heart attack.
The Myanmar embassy did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
U Myo Thant Pe was appointed ambassador to China in late 2019, and stayed in his post after Myanmar's military took power in a coup in February 2021.
Three other top foreign envoys to China have died in the past year.
German ambassador Jan Hecker, 54, died in September, less than two weeks into his Beijing posting. Ukraine Ambassador Serhiy Kamyshev, 65, died in February of this year, shortly after a visit to a Beijing Winter Olympics venue.
In April of this year, Philippine ambassador Jose Santiago Chito Sta Romana, 74, died in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui.