More Myanmar migrants arrested as Thailand cracks down on illegal workers

By Admin 01 Oct 2024

DMG Newsroom
1 October 2024, Sittwe

Many people have left Myanmar for neighbouring Thailand for either political reasons or better education and employment opportunities since the 2021 coup. To do so, many have illegally crossed the border into Thailand.

The number of illegal Myanmar migrants arrested by Thai authorities and handed over to the regime has increased year after year since the coup, according to organisations helping Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand.

“Prison cells in Thailand have been crowded with [Myanmar] detainees,” said Director U Htoo Chit of the Thailand-based Foundation for Education and Development. “Eighty to 100 people are put in a prison cell that can only hold 40 persons. The more the number of illegal migrant workers increases, the more arrests are made.”

The Thai government transferred more than 100,000 Myanmar migrant workers back to the regime last year, and over 100,000 Myanmar migrant workers have been deported since January of this year, according to the Foundation for Education and Development.

Thai authorities launched a four-month campaign on June 1, raiding factories, shops and construction sites to arrest illegal migrants.

“Our country is suffering from civil war. People suffer from human rights violations, and unemployment is high and educational opportunities are scarce. The pay is also low. That’s why the number of migrants has increased,” said U Htoo Chit.

Under Thai immigration law, illegal migrants are jailed for one to six months before being transferred back to the governments of their home countries.

In Arakan State, which the regime has effectively cut off from the rest of the country, people are enduring severe hardships, and are leaving for foreign countries by any means they can.

One woman from Taungup Township said: “Applying for a visa takes time.  What’s more, the regime imposes tight restrictions. So, many people, particularly young people, choose to leave illegally because there is no job to do for a livelihood in Arakan State.”