Trump presidency may end resettlement of Myanmar refugees
President-elect’s campaign announcements worry human rights advocates who warn of stricter US regulations on trade and migrants
The United States may scrap its resettlement plan for Myanmar refugees currently residing in camps on Thailand’s borders after Republican candidate Donald Trump was elected as the country’s 47th president on Wednesday, a human rights expert said.
The plan, which aims to relocate some 60,000 minority group refugees to a third country that offers them permanent residence so that Thailand can close these camps, was previously discussed by the Thai and US governments when the Democrat Party was leading the country.
With the Democrats’ defeat in Tuesday’s election, the US might cancel the plan altogether, as president-elect Trump does not prioritise human rights issues, Philip Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights & Labour Advocates (AHRLA), said.
In an interview with Krungthep Turakij newspaper on Thursday, Robertson added that under Trump’s leadership, the US will implement a trade protectionist policy by imposing a minimum 10% tariff on imports from foreign countries.
This will impact Thailand's export sector, as the US is Thailand’s largest export market, he warned.
Robertson predicted that chaos or a crisis may occur in the US if Trump implements the policies he campaigned on, such as the arrest and deportation of individuals who have lived in the US for many years but are not US citizens.
“There is a possibility that foreigners, particularly those from Latin American countries, could be deported, especially immigrants of older generations, while their children born in the US and granted US citizenship automatically would still be able to remain in the country,” he said.
Robertson pointed out that such deportations could lead to family separations, triggering clashes between government authorities and the public, as well as between states, particularly those with Democratic governors, who may refuse to comply with Trump's policies.
He added that Trump might also intervene with the Department of Justice and the judicial system, using them as tools to punish governors who oppose him.
Trump might also implement policies restricting women's rights to abortion, which could lead to protests or opposition from women's groups, resulting in unprecedented turmoil in the United States, he said.
