MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –
Source: The Holy See in Italian
Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) – Those who, fleeing from Myanmar devastated by civil war, cross the border with Thailand in search of peace, with the desire to start a new life, are migrants, often illegal. The flow of migrants from former Burma to Thailand has been recorded for many years, since there was a dictatorial military regime in power in Yangon, before the democratic season that began in 2016. Now, after the new military coup of 2021 and, with the recent law of compulsory recruitment in the Burmese army, many young people have tried to leave the country, choosing to go to neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand (see Fides 7/6/2024). Some enroll in schools, universities and courses of study, asking for a student visa; for others the only way is to go underground, with the hope of finding work and regularizing their status. The Thai government has always tried to stem the phenomenon and implemented policies of rejection, creating detention camps for migrants or refugee camps guarded by the police, not allowing refugees to integrate into society. In the past four months, the policy of rejection has materialized with the arrest of almost 200,000 citizens of Myanmar. As reported by the Thai Ministry of Labor, the police authorities have inspected 18,000 workplaces and other locations to check the documents of 256,213 migrant workers. According to the department, among the workers arrested because they were considered “illegal migrants” there were over 193,000 citizens of Myanmar, 39,000 Cambodians, 15,000 Laotians, and over 7,000 of other nationalities. About 1,830 illegal migrant workers have been prosecuted, while others have been fined and taken to detention camps pending repatriation. The Burmese military junta announced that about 1,000 Burmese workers were repatriated from Thailand in August. According to the NGO “Myanmar Humanitarian Action Center” it is a roundup of unprecedented scale. The Thai government has said that the controls on illegal migrant workers are necessary “to protect job opportunities for Thai citizens”. Thai law already prohibits migrant workers of any nationality from working in 27 specific occupations reserved for Thai citizens (such as passenger transport, traditional Thai massage, hairdressing, interpretation and money transfer services). Thailand is home to about two million people from Myanmar who work in agriculture, hospitality, fishing, manufacturing and other sectors. Many live without documents after crossing the border as illegal immigrants, hoping to obtain a “Certificate of Identity,” issued by a Thai government office that allows them to remain in the country and work regularly. If they do not have that certificate, migrants are repatriated but, as soon as they return to Myanmar – reports “Myanmar Humanitarian Action Center” – they are imprisoned or enlisted in infantry divisions of the Burmese army and sent to the front lines. In a situation of civil conflict, repatriation represents a serious threat to their lives, the organization notes. Then there are the Burmese refugees (about 100,000) who live permanently in refugee camps set up by the Thai government along the border between Thailand and Myanmar and closed to the outside. According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), since 2021 the number of these refugees has continued to grow, due to the civil conflict in Myanmar. It should be noted that Thailand has not acceded to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not have a specific national legal framework for the protection of refugees and asylum seekers. Those Burmese refugees are, therefore, stuck in Thailand in a legal and social “limbo”, while the government does not issue them permission to move to third countries, where they would like to go. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 5/10/2024) Share:
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.