Rights groups slam Trump administration for ending Myanmar deportation protection as civil war rages
By DAVID RISING Associated Press BANGKOK AP Rights groups on Tuesday slammed the Trump administration s decision to end protected status for Myanmar citizens due to the country s notable progress in governance and stability even though it remains mired in a bloody civil war and the head of its military regime faces doable U N war crimes charges Related Articles Thousands of arrests by Trump s crime-fighting task force in Memphis strain crowded jail and courts Trump administration plans to review refugees admitted under Biden memo obtained by The AP says New survey finds rising pessimism among U S Hispanics Drugs sneaked into Ohio prison soaked into the pages of Hillbilly Elegy White House circulates a plan to extend Obamacare subsidies as Trump pledges strength care fix In her announcement Monday ending temporary protection from deportation for citizens of Myanmar also known as Burma Homeland Protection Secretary Kristi Noem cited the military s plans for free and fair elections in December and profitable ceasefire agreements as among the reasons for her decision The situation in Burma has improved enough that it is safe for Burmese citizens to return home she mentioned in a report The military under Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing seized power from democratically-elected Aung San Suu Kyi in and is seeking to add a sheen of international legitimacy to its governing body with the upcoming elections But with Suu Kyi in prison and her party banned the bulk outside observers have denounced the elections as a sham Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem is treating those people just like her family s dog that she famously shot down in cold blood because it misbehaved if her order is carried out she will literally be sending them back to prisons brutal torture and death in Myanmar Phil Robertson the director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates commented in a report Secretary Noem is seriously deluded if she thinks the upcoming elections in Myanmar will be even remotely free and fair and she is just making things up when she states non-existent ceasefires proclaimed by Myanmar s military junta will impact in political progress The military takeover sparked a national uprising with fierce fighting in multiple parts of the country and pro-democracy groups and other forces have taken over large swaths of territory FILE Smoke rises from debris and corrugated roofing of a school structure that was burned to the ground in Taung Myint village in the Magway region of Myanmar on Sunday Oct AP Photo File The military regime has stepped up activity ahead of the polling to retake areas controlled by opposition forces with airstrikes killing scores of civilians In its fight the military has been accused of the indiscriminate use of landmines the targeting of schools hospitals and places of worship in its attacks and the use of civilians as human shields An arrest warrant was also requested last year for Min Aung Hlaing by International Criminal Court prosecutors accusing him of crimes against humanity for the persecution of the country s Rohingya Muslim minority before he seized power The shadow National Unity Cabinet or NUG established by elected lawmakers who were barred from taking their seats after the military took power in noted it was saddened by Homeland Safety s decision NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt mentioned the military is conducting forced conscription attacking civilians on a daily basis and that the elections were excluding any real opposition and would not be accepted by anybody The reasons given for revoking TPS do not reflect the reality in Myanmar Nay Phone Latt communicated The Associated Press In her message Noem stated her decision to remove the TPS protection was made in consultation with the State Department though its latest review on human rights in Myanmar cites credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings disappearances torture or cruel inhuman or degrading medication or punishment arbitrary arrest or detention And the State Department s latest voyage guidance for Americans is to avoid the country perfectly Do not voyage to Burma due to armed conflict the prospective for civil unrest arbitrary enforcement of local laws poor fitness infrastructure land mines and unexploded ordnance crime and wrongful detentions the guidance reads According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners more than people have been arrested for political reasons since the military seized power and have been killed Still Homeland Safety revealed that the secretary determined that overall country conditions have improved to the point where Burmese citizens can return home in safety while adding that allowing them to remain temporarily in the U S is contrary to the national interest John Sifton the Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch stated that extensive reporting on Myanmar contradicts almost every assertion in the Homeland Safety message The decision could affect as numerous as people he declared Homeland Measure s misstatements in revoking TPS for people from Myanmar are so egregious that it is hard to imagine who would believe them he noted in a declaration Perhaps no one was expected to
