'Not appropriate,' envoy tells Boris over Kipling poem in Myanmar


  • World
  • Sunday, 01 Oct 2017

FILE PHOTO: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrives at a meeting to discuss the Rohingya situation during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 18, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's ambassador to Myanmar was forced to interrupt Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson earlier this year as he tried to recite a nostalgic colonial poem by Rudyard Kipling in public during a visit to the country's most famous Buddhist site.

Johnson, who helped lead the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, is caught on camera starting to recite Kipling's poem, Mandalay, after striking a bell at the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon.

The Star Christmas Special Promo: Save 35% OFF Yearly. T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 8.02/month

Billed as RM 96.20 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

New report details atmospheric impacts of 2022 Hunga volcano eruption
UN demands Rwanda leave Congo, extends UN peacekeeping mission
U.S. stocks close higher
Azerbaijan extends special quarantine regime until April 2026
U.S. dollar ticks up
Crude futures settle higher
Russia lowers oath-taking age for citizenship to 14 years old
US intelligence indicates Putin's war aims in Ukraine are unchanged
US issues sanctions on family members and associates of Venezuela's Maduro
US imposes new Venezuela-related sanctions on seven people, Treasury Department says

Others Also Read