Junta Seizes on US Move to End Protected Status for Myanmar Nationals

Myanmar’s military regime has seized on Washington’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Myanmar nationals in the United States, portraying it as international recognition of its planned election—a process widely dismissed as a sham.

On Monday, the US government announced its assessment that Myanmar citizens living in the US on the basis of TPS were now able to “safely return home” due to what it claimed were improvements in governance and stability, as well as the regime’s preparations to hold “free and fair” elections. The junta quickly echoed the statement, urging Myanmar nationals in the US to return and “take part in nation-building” by voting in the upcoming polls.

With its election scheduled for late December, the regime has been desperately seeking any signal of international engagement to bolster its claims of legitimacy. Observers said Washington’s announcement appeared to offer them just such an opening at a time when support for the vote is almost nonexistent both domestically and internationally.