Amnesty International questions Leeds United's planned tour to Myanmar

The Sky Bet Championship club are planning a pre-season tour of Myanmar despite Foreign Office travel warnings being in place for various parts of the south-east Asian country

Leeds' tour to Myanmar next month has been questioned by Amnesty International due to the country's "brutal" human rights record.

The Sky Bet Championship club are planning a pre-season tour of Myanmar despite Foreign Office travel warnings being in place for various parts of the south-east Asian country.

"It certainly seems like an odd choice of country to choose to tour," said Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen.

"The last year has seen the human rights situation in Myanmar deteriorate dramatically.

"Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled crimes against humanity in Rakhine State to neighbouring Bangladesh; those who remain continue to live under a system amounting to apartheid.

"The Myanmar authorities have continued the brutal crackdown despite a global outcry.

"Far too often sporting events have been used as a cheap PR tool to 'sportswash' the stain of a country's human rights record."

Leeds are scheduled to play an All-Star XI in Yangon on May 9 and then Myanmar's national team in Mandalay on May 11.

Both cities fall outside areas which the Foreign Office has advised should be avoided.

"We're not going to tell Leeds United where they should and shouldn't visit," Allen added.

"But if the tour does go ahead, the club should use its leverage to call for an end to the crackdown and raise with the Burmese authorities the plight of the hundreds of thousands of families who have been brutalised and forced to flee their homes."

Leeds are scheduled to play two friendlies (Getty)

A Leeds spokesmansaid that the club is liaising with the Foreign Office and will avoid any areas of conflict.

Further advice and travel details will be released for Leeds supporters, the club said.

Two companies owned by Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani, Aser and Eleven Sports, have business partnerships in the region and there are expected to be commercial benefits from the tour.

Leeds will be holding football clinics with the Myanmar Football Federation Academies in Yangon and Mandalay.

Leeds plan to hold football clinics in the country (Getty ) (Getty)

Violent clashes between Myanmar's government troops and militants are on-going in several areas of the country.

Myanmar's governing regime has been accused of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, while insurgent attacks on police and army bases last summer killed 70 people.

Some Leeds fans have voiced their anger on social media, while Leeds United Supporters Trust said it was "a strange and controversial choice, given the dangerous political climate Myanmar currently finds itself in

LUST chairman Steve White said: "We're mainly concerned with the welfare of fans because no matter where Leeds United play, whether on a post-season tour or a pre-season tour, there will be fans going, simple as that.

"Our message to fans would be don't go without making an informed decision. Get every bit of information about the situation that you can and take advice from the appropriate people and then make your decision.

"It's not a tour that I would have chosen personally."

Regional MEP Amjad Bashir also spoke out against the planned trip, labelling it "misguided".

Bashir, who has campaigned for the protection of Myanmar's brutalised Rohingya minority, said: "By playing football there, they would be giving succour to a brutal regime and aligning themselves with the perpetrators of ethic cleansing and genocide."

Leeds have come under pressure for the decision (Getty)

The Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber added: "This is a murderous and blood-soaked rogue state. Decent people should be isolating them and doing all they can to ensure people face justice for crimes against humanity - not going there for games of football, however lucrative.

"If the folk in charge at Elland Road do not realise that, they are misguided and need a crash course in the realities about this country. They could start by Googling 'Myanmar' and 'Rohingya'.

"If they do not cancel this tour immediately, they will do a terrible wrong to the Rohingya, our country, the city of Leeds and fans like me."