U.S. president suspends $45 millionDISP scholarship for Myanmar students
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Phyo (NP News) - Jan 2
It is reported that the 45 million dollars allocated for the Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program (DISP) for Myanmar students has been suspended by an executive order from the U.S. President.
President Trump also spoke out on January 29, stating that the DISP scholarship program supporting Myanmar students is too much.
The United States had planned to allocate 45 million dollars in scholarships to support 800 Myanmar students over a five-year period. The funds were intended to support education necessary for the development and progress of Myanmar, including undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees, as well as certificate programs and diploma courses.
It has been reported that the scholarship funding was suspended starting from the 2023-2024 academic year under President Biden, resulting in hardship for around 400 Myanmar students.
Additionally, it is reported that due to an executive order by President Donald Trump to suspend humanitarian aid, financial support, and loans to foreign countries for 90 days, all operations at refugee camps along the Myanmar-Thailand border, including healthcare services, have been halted.
Furthermore, the U.S. government has stated that among the more than 1.4 million people to be deported, 679 Myanmar nationals are included, according to information released by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
These individuals have not been detained but are those who have received deportation orders from the U.S. They fall under the executive order by President Trump, which imposed penalties on undocumented individuals within the country.
Currently, among those who are to be deported, Mexico has the largest number with over 250,000 of its nationals, followed by El Salvador with over 200,000, and there are also significant numbers of nationals from Honduras and Nicaragua.
Along with Myanmar nationals, the list of those to be deported also includes individuals from North Korea, Brunei, Cambodia, and other Asian countries. These individuals are said to have committed some form of crime or violated U.S. immigration laws.
The U.S. government believes that each respective country is responsible for accepting its nationals who do not meet the qualifications to remain in the United States, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.