Arakanese migrants rush to leave Myanmar for job prospects overseas

By Admin 04 Nov 2024

DMG Newsroom
4 November 2024, Yangon

Many Arakanese migrants in Yangon and other parts of Myanmar are leaving for foreign countries due to safety concerns and lack of employment opportunities, according to labour rights activists.

Arakanese migrants in Yangon have concerns for their safety due to the junta’s increased arbitrary arrests of civilians, checks on households for unregistered overnight guests and forced conscription.

They say they dare not continue to work in factories and workshops in the commercial capital and elsewhere for fear of conscription, and that they also are unwilling to return to Arakan State due to the conflict between the military regime and Arakkha Army (AA). The only option available, they reason, is to work in a foreign country.

“Few workers are left at the factory where I worked,” said a woman from Arakan State’s Pauktaw Township who recently left Yangon for Malaysia. “There were frequent inspections. So, many resigned for fear that they might be drafted.”

She added: “We don’t feel safe. We can’t go back home. Even if we could go back home, there are no jobs available. My family members have been struggling to make ends meet, and I only want to provide for them. So, I decided to work abroad.”

According to sources familiar with the matter, Arakanese migrants who have left for overseas employment include residents of Pauktaw, Rathedaung, Minbya, Thandwe, Taungup, Kyaukphyu and Gwa townships. Most are originally from Thandwe, Gwa and Kyaukphyu townships.

“Many people from Thandwe and Gwa have arrived in Thailand, though there were few of them before,” said U Naing Aung Aung, director of the Thailand-based Arakan Worker Organization. “Many from Kyaukphyu and Taungup also come [to Thailand], particularly to find better jobs.”

The top destinations of Arakanese migrants include Thailand, Malaysia and China, with many leaving Myanmar illegally. But undocumented migrants struggle to get jobs once they have crossed the border, and also have concerns for their safety.

Ko Lin Soe from Kyaukphyu Township said: “I couldn’t find a job in Yangon, and I couldn’t return to my hometown. So, I came to Thailand. I haven’t searched for a job yet as I have no documents. I have asked for help from labour organisations here.”

The 2021 coup, with its attendant economic crisis, high unemployment and arbitrary arrests, has prompted the mass exodus of young people from Arakan State to foreign countries.