Thai woman suspected in Myanmar death of U.S. diplomat gets 1-year prison term

BANGKOK — A Thai woman accused of killing her ex-husband, a U.S. diplomat, has been sentenced to one year in prison for violating Myanmar’s immigration laws, but she still might go to trial for murder, a lawyer familiar with her case said Wednesday.

The court in Yangon’s Kamayut township on Tuesday found Pavinee Supasirivisan guilty under a provision that applies to any foreign national who commits a crime in the country, according to the lawyer.

The charge carries a sentence ranging from six months to five years, the lawyer said, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid possible repercussions from Myanmar’s military-backed government, which exercises tight control over information. Pavinee is being held at Insein Prison.

Neither U.S. nor Myanmar officials have publicly named the dead man, but the New York Post and other Western media have identified him as 43-year-old Daniel Paul Riva, who served as a U.S. State Department assistant regional security officer. An online obituary for someone with that name has details including the same day of death as the victim and recollections of him having worked in several U.S. diplomatic missions.

The State Department had confirmed the death of a U.S. government employee but refused to provide further information, including the victim’s name, citing privacy reasons.

Pavinee was arrested after the diplomat was found dead with stab wounds to the head and neck on May 11 at the Sakura Residence & Hotel, a facility popular with diplomats, businesspeople and other international visitors that is about a mile from the U.S. Embassy.

Police have opened a case at the township’s police station under the relevant murder provision, which carries a sentence ranging from 10 years in prison to the death penalty. But it’s unclear whether Pavinee has been formally charged with murder, or even whether a murder investigation is still ongoing, the lawyer said.

An official from Kamayut township’s immigration and population department confirmed her sentence for violating immigration law but wouldn’t provide further details. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak with the media.

The military seized power from democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, giving rise to widespread protests that have expanded into a civil war in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.

Authorities rarely speak with the media, which are tightly controlled. Police investigating the case, the Thai Embassy in Yangon and the court that sentenced her all refused to comment.

Peck writes for the Associated Press.