Part Two of Two: June 2025 asylum officer questions of an activist from Burma:

Are you active in the US? what do you do? ever protest? 

Did you ever protest in Burma? [why do you suppose the officer asks the same question twice?]

What would happen if you return to Burma tomorrow? what would happen at the airport? how would they know you arrived?

Why do you fear returning? do you know anyone else, similarly-situated, who protested abroad and then who returned to Burma and was arrested at YGN airport?

What does your government think about people who studied in USA for three years? Are they going to be trouble-makers in Burma, because they have seen democracy in action?

What do you fear if you return? why would that happen?

Whom do you fear? [doesn't the officer know the answer to this question? why does he ask this?]

Dalan people in USA go to protests, take photos, and then tell the government who is in the photos?

Is there anything else? Yes? what?

Why did your uncle need to get a travel permit to drive his car from Yangon to Mandalay? The government has a limited amount of money? But instead of using it to build schools, roads, and hospitals, they hire thugs to harass their own people? They hire office workers to issue travel permits? Is the entire country like a prison?

You are a member of the Chinese ethnic group? Why do the Bamar hate the Chinese? What is the three Bs policy?

 June 13, 2025 questions by Asylum Officer to an activist from Burma:  Part One of Two

Did anyone help you do I-589? how did they help? any updates? any new documents for today?  How many years did you live in Shan State? How long have you been a Muslim?

Did you provide a written statement? What is a statement? what is a declaration? what is an affidavit? you don't know the difference? so why do you quickly and glibly answer my questions?

DS-160: did you ever apply for a visa before? how many times? Your first visa application: did anyone help you prepare it? is everything in it true? Does it ask if you were arrested? You were arrested, weren't  you? So, you lied on your DS-160? You had a face-to-face interview at US Embassy? you told more lies to the officer?

What false statements are on your second visa application? You have not read it, recently, have you? But I have, yes?

Tell me your immigration status and applications here in USA?

When apply for TPS? when did you re-apply? Tell me about your F-1 and your association and activities at the  university!

= = = 

Have you ever been harmed or threatened? When was the first time  you were threatened? when was the second time? when was the third time? which time was the worst?

   What is a threat? A soldier could walk up to you, and say, "If you do not give me money right now, I will shoot you." That is a direct, verbal threat?

If yesterday, your friend received a direct, verbal threat, is that a "threat" for you today? Living each day in Burma is a "threat," isn't it? Each day, the government threatens its people. Everyone lives under threat every day. This is an indirect threat, perhaps.

What is "harm"? There are many kinds of harm. Each day in Burma you feel anxious and nervous? Each day, you suffer emotional harm?

What did you see with your eyes? Three smiling young girls, with flowers in their hands? NO? Three large, angry-faced young muscular men in uniforms, with guns, and they were not from your ethnic group?

What is a Bamar? how do they look different from you? How do they know you are not a Bamar?

You lived for ten years in Mandalay? Five years in Irrawaddy?

When you told the officer your cousin was a student in USA, the officer said, "Oh, she is getting brainwashed there to hate her own country?"

How many protests did you attend in Burma? How did the government know that you were protesting, in the middle of the street, in broad daylight?  Who are the dalan? What do they do?

 June 2025: more questions to an activist, from Asylum Officer:

Where were you, at the moment of your harm? What did you see? What did you hear? Did the angry man say some words? what langugage? what words did he say?

Was he an ordinary criminal? Can you win asylum, if an ordinary criminal harms you?

At that time, who else was present? why didn't they write a letter of support for you?

Were there other "similarly-situated" persons in your country? were they also harmed? 

How were you harmed in June 2024? As he raised the stick, what thoughts went through your mind?

How do you know he was a government agent? Why do you believe he was a government agent? What was he wearing? what words did he say?  were there any other words that he said?

At the hospital, what did the doctor say to you?

If a family member does something, is everyone in the family now at risk?

How were you harmed in July 2024? what words did the angry man say?   What were you doing at the moment of your arrest? where were you at the moment of your arrest?

I, the asylum officer, read your statement this morning. When was the last time you read it? I know more about you, than you do? Is that embarrassing to you?

How did you express your political opinion? How did you criticize the government? how do they know that you did those things?

How did you get out of jail? What was the conversation, as you were released?  What words did the guard say?

What was the most severe harm that happened to you?

How do you know it was a government man who hit you?

How many times were you threatened? what was the worst threat? when was the last threat? 

Why do you believe the man was angry at you, because of your political opinion?

What would happen if you return to your country? who would harm you? why?  Would you be harmed because of your "family"?

What is your view of your government? what is your political opinion? Today, June 2025, what is your political opinion? have you expressed it, even once, in the last 12 months? I guess it is not important to you?

If you return, would you continue to press for democracy?

How would the government know anything about you?

Are there any "similarly-situated" persons, who are like you? Did any of them recently suffer harm?

Did you report your problems to the police? what did they do?

Can you safely relocate inside your country? You were injured in City #1? OK, so why not go live in City #2?

How do you know it was the police who harmed you?

What is "material support"?  Even if under duress, did you give material support to the well-meaning freedom fighters?

 June 2025: Asylum Officer questions, to an activist from Tanzania:

-Who helped you do Form I-589? How did he help you?

Who helped you with  your written statement? How did he help you? Was your statement read back to you, in your native language?

DS-160: what is Form DS-160? is it an application for a visa? who helped you answer the questions? is everything true on it? Yes? why do you say that? you lied didn't you?

   To get your visa, did you have face-to-face interview at US Embassy? They asked you questions? You lied or told the truth?

Are you aware of its contents? Yes? why do you say Yes, when you have not read it for six years? I, the asylum officer, know much more about your DS-160, yes? Is that embarrassing to you?

Why are you applying for asylum? Why is Government angry at you? Why are agents of the government angry at you?

Were you harmed in your country? How?

Were you threatened in your country? How many times? Give me a number!

When was the first harm? [asylum officer switches back and forth between "harm" and "threats"] When was the last harm?

When was the first threat? when was the last threat? By the way, what is a threat? If you see that the windows of your car were smashed, and its tires slashed, is that a threat? 

What was the date of your most serious harm? If you had several serious harms, which is the most serious? 

How do you remember that date? Is there any other reason why you remember that date?

What is the name of your political party? when did you become a member? why did you join? what is the mission of it? You were a member, or "are" you a member? "Are" is the present tense? Are you a member today, June 2025?

What is the mission statement of your party? Someone from your party wrote you a letter of support? why not?

What did you do, as a member? What would a video of you show? sitting at a desk? walking on the street? distributing literature? speaking thru a microphone at a rally?

You say you "helped the youth"? That's nice. What did you do?

Lecture them?

Did your party have meetings? how often? where? what was discussed at the meetings? what was debated? were alternative debated? Everyone just sat around and complained and lamented? Were the meetings a waste of time? where were the meetings held? how many attended? 

You say the meeting was in Tabata? that is different from Dar es Salaam? do you think I know the different sections and quarters in Dar es Salaam?

Who harmed you in August 2015? why do you say you don't know? It was a Chinese man, who hit you, just for fun? Perhaps it was an agent of the government? What do you believe?

Where were you, at the moment of your harm? Lying down in a bed, in a hotel? Sitting on a chair, in a restaurant? Standing outside, on the street?  What did you see, what did you hear?

You saw a man with an angry face come near to you, and he was holding a large stick? He said words? Really? what language? What words did he say? Why don't you answer my questions? Did he say words? Really? Good. Can you remember what words he said? Yes? Good. Now, can you repeat the words he said?

Why do you make me ask the same question five times? Isn't it boring for you? by the way, do you think it is boring for me?

MAY 2025: Asylum officer questions, of a Shan activist from Burma:

   Who helped you do Form I-589? can you repeat page 1, without looking at it?

How did you get visa to enter USA? what written questions were asked on Form DS-160? did that form ask if you had ever been arrested? How long you planned to be in USA for?

At US embassy, what oral questions did they ask you? what lies did you tell? why did you tell lies?

Ever suffer physical harm? 

Were you ever threatened in your country? how many times? when was the first time? Second time?

What did the bad guy say? What words did he say, and in what language?

What is the "three Bs" policy? Your ethnic group: how is it treated? villages get bombed? have to pay extra bribes to get documents? denied government employment? slurs and insults in the media?

Your ethnic group is Karen? did the officer ever say the word "Karen"? Why do you think he was interested in your ethnic group or not?

How did he know you were a Karen? How is your physical appearance different from the Bamar?

When the Karen speak Burmese, do they have a special accent? Do the Karen wear special clothes?

What is a Household Registration List? At 11 00 pm, what did you hear? what did you see? what words did the officers say? what thoughts went through your mind at that time? After they left, how did you feel?

What threats did they make?

Do Karen people suffer more harm than the Bamar? In what way?

How many times have you visited USA? why not seek asylum then?

Tell me all of your international travels: what was your immigration status in each one? why not apply for asylum there? 

Return To Dangerous Country [RTDC]. How many times did you RTDC? why do you return, if it is so dangerous?

what would happen if you return to your country tomorrow? Why would you be arrested? how would they know if you protested in USA? Do you fear being drafted or conscripted into Burmese military?

When  you protested in front of the Embassy, did you see anyone with cameras? were there Infiltrators/Spies/Informers [ISI} dalan ??

Is there something about you, that the government does not like? How would they know your political opinion? your ethnic group? your religion?

Recently, did the government ask neihbors about you?

You suffered in the city of Yangon? OK, so why not go live in the city of Mandalay?

You suffered harm a long time ago. Is the government still interested in you?

What makes you think they would harm you, if you return?

is there anything else? Yes? what?     Is there anything else?

 

 QUESTIONS ASKED BY ASYLUM OFFICER OF A CHIN-CHRISTIAN FROM BURMA: March 2025

Tell me about your international travel. Did you ever return to the country that you say is so dangerous?

Did you ever work for the military, the police, or the government? If so, maybe you assisted in the persecution of others

Are you able to repeat your declaration? Or, is it too long and you can't remember it?

If you walk down the street in silence, how does anyone know you are a Chin?

What was your last address, outside of USA?

Tell me about all of your employment for the past 10 years? Tell me about all of your addresses for the past ten years? If you say you worked for X in the city of Yangon, in 2023, but you say you lived in Mandalay in 2023, then, have you contradicted yourself?

Form DS-160 is an application for a visa? Lots of questions and lots of answers? You don't know what errors are in that form, do you? Today, you will be giving me answers that are inconsistent with your earlier answers?

Why did you apply for asylum? Did you suffer harm in the past? What was the motive of the bad guys? What words did they say?

How many times were you harmed? If you live under a dictatorship, do you suffer harm each day?

Do you know what the rules are, for asylum? Who gets asylum, and who doesn't? If an "ordinary criminal" steals from you, do you get asylum? Does Chins suffer more crime than other groups?

Where were you, at the moment of your arrest? 

A bad man hit you? Did you report that to the police? Why not?

Did you have a "household family list"? Where is it today?

Does the government know your blood type?

Did you suffer physical harm? Are there other kinds of harm? Such as emotional harm? Anxiety? Worry? Fear? 

Is there anything else? Really? what?

Month/year/city.   Is the asylum officer always interested in month/year/city and who the bad guy was?

If you don't know, why don't you say, "I am not sure. Perhaps it was in June or July of 2024.  My birthday was in November, it happened a few months before that."

Some people in Chin State have cell phones? They can write a letter, hold it up to their chests, have their photo taken, showing the letter? then, they can send the photo to you, in TEN MINUTES? Why can't  you do this five times?

If  you were the officer, would you believe you? \

Does the officer know more about Burma than you do?

Is that embarrassing to you? 

 ASYLUM OFFICER QUESTIONS January 25, 2025 of an activist from Burma:

Did anyone help you do your asylum application? how did he help you?

How was your declaration prepared? was it read back to  you in your native language?

can you repeat all of the information on page one of Form I-589, without looking at it?

When did you enter USA? what was your last address in your country

DS-160   What is Form DS-160?

it is an application for a visa? it asks if you have ever been arrested? it asks about your employment?

about your future plans? such as, "I will visit in USA for about 20 days, and then return to my country"?

Did anyone help you answer the questions in your visa application? How many of your answers are correct? why did you give wrong information in your visa application? Did you do a FOIA request for your DS-160? I have a copy of it, but you don't?

You had a face-to-face interview at US Embassy, to get your visa? You told the officer that you would return to your country after about 20 days? but that was a lie? You lied, successfully to that officer. Does that give you confidence that you can lie successfully to me?

Why did you miss the one-year deadline?

How did you learn about asylum? How did you learn about how to apply for asylum?

Why did you apply for asylum? Did you have any problems in your country?

why do you fear your government? why do you fear your fellow citizens?

How do they know you are Chinese?

How does anyone in Burma know your political opinion?

How did you express your opinion while you lived in Burma?

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: tell me about all of your international travel!

is there anything else?

have you done anything, here in the USA, to bring yourself to the attention of your government?

Do you know anyone, who criticized the Burma government, who then returned to Burma, and was arrested upon return?