A diplomat in the Myanmar embassy in Washington said Thursday he is seeking asylum in the U.S. in protest at the state of emergency in his homeland, VOA reported.

Maung Maung Latt, a first secretary in the embassy, told VOA’s Burmese Service “I decided to seek asylum in this country because I cannot accept the illegitimate takeover of power by the military.”

Prior to his posting in Washington, Maung Maung Latt had served in the country’s embassies in Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand. He had been set to return to Myanmar in the next month and retire.