Myanmar footballer to get asylum in Japan
17 June, 2021
A goalkeeper from Myanmar's national team who raised an anti-coup salute throughout a match outside Tokyo has refused to fly home and can seek asylum in Japan, his legal professional told AFP on Thursday (Jun 17).
Myanmar has been around turmoil since a February coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, sparking huge protests and renewed clashes between your military and ethnic rebel armies in border regions.
Last month, substitute goalkeeper Pyae Lyan Aung raised the three-finger salute as the national anthem played before a World Cup qualifier against Japan.
Late on Wednesday, he told a Japanese immigration officer at an airport in Osaka that he'd not board a plane back to Myanmar, his legal professional Shogo Watanabe told AFP, confirming earlier local reports.
"After confirming his wishes, we will proceed with procedures to get refugee status either in Osaka or in Tokyo," Watanabe added.
"It's obvious (that he is a political refugee) after he made the three-finger salute ... I hope his refugee status will be recognised as soon as possible," Watanabe said, adding the process could take months.
National broadcaster NHK showed footage of the player speaking through a translator in Osaka on Wednesday evening.
"If I go back to Myanmar, my life would be in danger. I decided to stay in Japan," footage broadcast by NHK showed him saying through a translator at the airport.
"The Japanese government and people got to know Myanmar's situation. I demand your cooperation," he added.
The three-finger salute has frequently been used as a show of resistance by protesters during demonstrations that have been brutally repressed, with an increase of than 800 persons killed and thousands wounded, according to rights groups.
The footballer, whose teammates are thought to have returned home on Wednesday, said he will not return back until ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi returns to power.
But he admitted worries about the results of his decision, adding: "If any danger happens to my teammates or members of the family, I would go back to Myanmar to be arrested."
Japan's immigration agency could not immediately be reached for comment.
Japan accepts simply a couple of asylum applications every year, but in May the justice ministry said Myanmar residents already in the united states can extend their stays as an emergency measure, given the coup and resulting violence.
Your choice comes just over per month before Japan hosts the Olympics, and may raise questions about whether other athletes might seek asylum during the Games.
Japan has longstanding ties with Myanmar and has described itself as the country's most significant provider of monetary assistance.
Following the coup, Tokyo froze new aid to Myanmar and the foreign minister has warned even existing projects could possibly be halted if the military junta continues to use violence against protesters.
Source:
TAG(s):