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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 25 OcTOber 2022
Rights group: Turkey forces hundreds to return to Syria

ISTANBUL (AP) — Hundreds home-building project in
of Syrian men and boys Syria’s northwest Idlib re-
were detained, beaten gion in May, President Re-
and forcibly returned to cep Tayyip Erdogan said it
their country by Turkish au- would facilitate the return
thorities over a six-month of 1 million refugees from
period, a leading human Turkey.
rights group said Monday. Erdogan has recently sig-
The treatment of migrants naled a change in policy
living in Turkey under tem- toward Syria, suggesting
porary protection is a the possibility of talks with
breach of international Syrian President Bashar
law, New York-based Hu- Assad. Ankara previously
man Rights Watch said in a demanded Assad’s remov-
report. al as it backed opposition
The Turkish government has groups. Many Syrians living
in the past rejected accu- in Turkey fear warming rela-
sations of forcibly returning tions could led to greater
refugees to Syria. pressure on them to return.
Turkey houses the world’s “Although Turkey provided
largest refugee population, temporary protection to
mostly 3.6 million Syrians 3.6 million Syrian refugees,
who fled the decade-long A Syrian migrant man and daughter stand in front of their shelter in Ulus district, the old part of it now looks like Turkey is
war in their country. Turkish capital Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. trying to make northern
Human Rights Watch said Associated Press Syria a refugee dumping
deported Syrians told re- up to 21 hours they were refoulement, which Ankara for the worse, with attacks ground,” Hardman said.
searchers that Turkish offi- forced across at gunpoint, is bound to by internation- on Syrian homes and busi- Human Rights Watch inter-
cials arrested them in their the Syrians said. al treaty, prohibits the re- nesses. viewed 37 Syrian men and
homes, workplaces and on “In violation of international turn of anyone to a place Facing approaching elec- two boys between Febru-
the street. They were then law Turkish authorities have where they would face a tions, the government now ary and August, as well as
detained in poor condi- rounded up hundreds of real risk of persecution, tor- aims to return increasing relatives of those deported
tions, with most suffering Syrian refugees, even un- ture or a threat to life. The numbers of people to ar- to Syria.
beatings and abuse, and accompanied children, U.N. Commission of Inquiry eas of northern Syria under They all said they were de-
forced to sign documents and forced them back to on Syria last month restated the control of the Turkish ported together with doz-
agreeing to “voluntarily” northern Syria,” said Nadia that Syria is not safe for re- military. ens or hundreds of others
return to Syria. Hardman, refugee and mi- turnees. Earlier this month a Turkish and were forced to sign
After being driven in hand- grant rights researcher at Amid a dire economic cri- official said nearly 527,000 forms they understood to
cuffs to the Syrian border Human Rights Watch. sis, sentiment toward refu- Syrians had returned vol- be voluntary repatriation
journeys sometimes lasting The legal principle of non- gees in Turkey has turned untarily. Announcing a agreements. q

Myanmar downplays blacklisting by money laundering watchdog

against money laundering FATF’s review found inad- and North Korea, which are
and other financial crimes. equate precautions to pre- also on the blacklist.
That jolted Myanmar’s in- vent criminals from running Myanmar had increased
formal currency exchang- casinos and other non- its compliance to 24 out of
es, where the dollar’s value financial businesses and 40 recommendations by
against the Myanmar kyat professions designated for the Financial Action Task
jumped to between 4,000- special precautions, such Force, it said. It said the
5,000 kyats from 2,900 kyats as property agents and draft action plan would be
before falling back to about gems dealers, lawyers and implemented in the com-
3,000 kyats. The official ex- accountants. ing year.
change rate was 2,100 It also cited weak supervi- More stringent due dili-
kyats per dollar on Friday. sion of money changers gence precautions for
The FATF removed Myan- and non-bank financial money transfers won’t pre-
mar from its blacklist in 2016 institutions and mobile fi- vent banks from conduct-
as its economy opened up nancial services providers, ing business, it said.
A man shows currency notes imprinted with portrait of Gen. during a brief-lived time of whose importance has “Despite the high-risk juris-
Aung San, late father of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, transition toward a civilian, grown after the army’s sei- dictions being subject to a
outside Myanmar Economic Bank on Jan. 7, 2020, in Yangon, democratic government. zure of power left many call for action, it is not a risk
Myanmar. But army leaders took con- banks barely functioning factor for Myanmar so peo-
Associated Press
trol in February 2021. Most for a time. But it welcomed ple need not worry about
BANGKOK (AP) — Myan- financial crimes blacklist. of the progress made to- progress in addressing the it,” it said.
mar’s central bank has The Financial Action Task ward better enforcement problems. In its statement, It said actions would be
promised improvements Force recommended that of anti-money laundering the central bank said Myan- taken against currency
and warned against cur- Myanmar be included rules had taken place un- mar has an “action plan” manipulation and other
rency manipulation after among countries requir- der the elected govern- for addressing the FATF’s such “doings that do not
an international watchdog ing stronger due diligence, ment headed by Aung San review. It also noted that comply with the rules and
put the military-controlled citing deficiencies in its en- Suu Kyi. it was not designated for regulations of the Central
country on a terrorism and forcement of precautions Among its findings, the countermeasures like Iran Bank of Myanmar.”q