Junta lauds Washington for ending protected status of Myanmar nationals in US

ISTANBUL

Myanmar’s junta regime on Wednesday lauded Washington for bringing an end to the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 4,000 Myanmar nationals in the US.

Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said the Myanmar government “considers this announcement by the US government to be a positive one.”

“Myanmar citizens in the United States can return to their homeland; they are welcome,” the spokesman said, as reported by state-run Myanmar International TV, noting that they can vote in the upcoming general election.

On Monday, the Trump administration announced the termination of TPS for nearly 4,000 Myanmar nationals in the US, effective January 26, 2026.

“This decision restores TPS to its original status as temporary,” US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.

“The situation in Burma has improved enough that it is safe for Burmese citizens to return home, so we are terminating the Temporary Protected Status,” Noem said, using another name for Myanmar.

Myanmar, ruled by a military junta since February 2021, is currently preparing to hold general elections on Dec. 28 this year, for the first time since the coup.

However, the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) warned Wednesday that it is receiving a growing number of reports of serious international crimes committed in the lead-up to elections planned by the country's military authorities.

Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the mechanism, said in a statement that "the mechanism has received worrying reports of actions in the context of elections which may amount to persecution and spreading terror in a civilian population as crimes against humanity."