Burmese Migrants in Thailand: An Overview and Analysis
by Jon Fox

27 November 2009

Many visitors to Thailand mistakenly assume that many of the human fixtures working in the shops, construction sites and factories of Thailand are in fact Thai-nationals.  The reality is that many of them are as foreign to Thailand as the ordinary Western tourist. They are the cleaning ladies, the construction workers, the waiters, and the laborers fueling Thailand’s economy. Most of us don’t stop to notice, but behind their silent smiles there is a story.

In August 2009 the Thai government began a campaign to register the Kingdom’s migrant laborers and bring them into the legal fold, with little success. Since the vast majority of migrant workers in Thailand are unregistered and illegal, their numbers and characteristics are shrouded in mystery. Estimates place the total number of migrant workers in Thailand at somewhere between three to four million, the vast majority of which are Burmese.

Some migrants arrive in Thailand looking for a few months work in seasonal jobs on fishing boats or in the rice fields. Others only travel through the kingdom on their way to work in other countries, namely China and Malaysia. Others, mostly Burmese but also those from Laos and Vietnam, come fleeing death, persecution, and hardship in their home countries. Some migrants come willingly, some are forced into it. Some stay for a short time, and some settle here, providing for their families and integrating into Thai society.

Recently a 10 year old child of Shan parents from Burma became a news sensation after having been selected to participate in an international paper airplane competition in Japan. The boy, Mong Thongdee, is a stateless child holding neither Thai nor Burmese citizenship and without any travel documents. Mong is one of an estimated half a million people without citizenship living in Thailand, who live in fear and uncertainty. At first Thai officials claimed that the boy posed a threat to “national security”, and denied the child the necessary travel documents in order to fly to Japan. After the public outcry caught the attention of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, a temporary passport was quickly provided to Mong who joined his team mates in Japan. At the end of the saga, Mong brought Thailand a first in the team competition and third prize in the individual category, and Thailand’s best performance in the competition to date. Mong’s story put the spotlight on the complex reality Burmese migrants and their children face living in Thailand. 

I travelled to northern Thailand’s Tak province to meet with Burmese migrant workers, hear their stories in order to gain a deeper understanding of the reality of their lives.

A good neighbor

Over the past 40 years, Thailand has provided a better life for Burmese fleeing a paralyzed state-dominated and resource-driven economy at home. The ruling military junta has given them good reason to run, with over 40 years of disastrous economic polices, political oppression, and physical assault. While many Burmese now live in camps along Thailand’s northern border, countless more fuel the Kingdom’s rapid economic growth by working in factories, food packing centers, and on the construction sites of Bangkok's imposing sky-scrapers. The steady supply of cheap Burmese labor enables many Thai businesses to keep production costs down and retain a competitive edge in an increasingly global market.

In Tak province I met a young man named Kaija, originally from Arakan State in Burma. Kaija has been working in Thailand for nearly a year, without legal documentation. He looks older than his 25 years, a tired man in a skinny frame. Kaija's daily routine of work and sleep takes place for the most part within the confines of the garment factory where he works. He rarely leaves the bleak compound for fear of running into local police. When he does leave the factory, it is done cautiously. He is an outsider, and with his dark skin, is easily recognized as such. Kaija summarized his lot simply, “Life is very hard for me, work all day, and boss cheat us and fine us a lot.” Since there is no work for him inside Burma, Kaija says he will stay in Thailand, despite the hardship.

Life in Thailand may be tough for migrants, but it is often better than what awaits at home. He works 14-hour days, six days a week, ironing fashionable jeans at a Thai owned garment factory in Thailand's northern town of Mae Sot, on the Thai-Burma border. Like many other undocumented migrant workers, Kaija does not receive an hourly wage, as mandated by Thai law. He is a piece worker, paid according to the number of jeans he irons. On a good day he irons over 80 pairs, earning about 100 Thai baht.

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