Economics of migration from Burma/Myanmar -

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Sub-title: The safe return of migrant workers from Thailand amid the pandemic has required an unprecedented degree of cooperation between the government and armed groups on policing the border.
Description: "The COVID-19 pandemic has put many people out of work in Myanmar, from garment workers and vendors to journalists and taxi drivers. Another group suddenly without income are the “brokers” who arrange for undocumented migrants to cross into Thailand at the many unofficial border gates run by ethnic armed groups in Myanmar’s southeast. During normal times, there is a steady flow of migrants at these crossings. People cross to access better-paid jobs in Thailand and return to check on families and farms, to invest savings in land, property and small businesses, and to pay off debts – all without having to comply with the cumbersome and expensive requirements set by the Memorandum of Understanding between Thailand and Myanmar on labour migration. But in recent months, these border crossings have been shuttered, in an unprecedented show of pandemic-prompted cooperation between the government and armed groups, which have instead funnelled migrants towards the official crossings, particularly at Myawaddy in Kayin State. Informal migration has not stopped completely; the border is highly porous in places, with remote terrain allowing people to cross outside of both government and armed group-controlled gates. But this tends to happen far from major travel arteries and mostly serves local trips over small distances..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
2020-06-17
Date of entry/update: 2020-06-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "A total of 102 illegal Myanmar migrant workers have been sent back from Thailand as the latest batch, Myanmar's immigration authorities said Wednesday. The illegal migrant workers including 10 women and two children were handed over by Thailand's Ranong Immigration Department through Kawthoung border gate in southern Tanintharyi region on Tuesday evening. They were deported by the Thai authorities for being found with expired visas and without proper documents and sent back after paying penalties under Thai law. With healthcare provided, these illegal migrant workers were being sent back to their respective homes, the immigration department said. Since January this year, a total of 931 other similar Myanmar migrant workers had been repatriated to homeland from Thailand as of Oct. 16, according to compiled statistics. Most of the migrant workers are from Tanintharyi, Yangon, Bago and Ayeyarwady regions and Mon and Rakhine states..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
2019-10-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Creator/author: U Htay Mg
Source/publisher: IOM Myanmar
2019-06-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Description: "Htay Htay is a half Karen half Burman woman who came to Thailand in search of a better life. Now, she lives in a rubbish dump in the outskirts of the border town of Mae Sot on the Thailand-Burma border. Htay Htay is one of about 400 people who live in the dump, all barely making a living by picking up and selling rubbish. Htay Htay says that although they really don?t want to live amidst the rubbish, they have no choice. Read her story to find out why she feels that life ?living in the dirt? is better than life in her home country."
Source/publisher: Burma Link
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The northern Shan state, home to a majority of the Ta?ang people (referred to as ?Palaung? by others), is among the least accessible areas in Burma. These areas host some of the bloodiest conflict, the most poppy cultivation, extremely high rates of opium addiction, and crippling poverty. The Palaung Women?s Organization (PWO) has developed an impressive range of programs to empower Palaung women and support and advocate for their communities in the war-torn, drug-ravaged areas in northern Burma?all while combatting gender-discrimination and an epidemic of domestic violence. Three Palaung women, De De, Lway Yu Ni, and Lway Chee Sangar, each from a different Palaung village, sat down with us to speak about their lives, their struggles, and the work of the PWO."...See the Alternate link for part 2.
Source/publisher: Burma Link
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Abstract: "Migration is the act or process of moving from one place to another with the intent of staying at the destination permanently or for a relatively long period of time (1992, Longman). It can also be assumed that people move from one place to another, usually their home place, to work or to settle in another place. As basic factors, migration take place an area where the migrants believe that their opportunity and life circumstances will be better at their destinations than the present location. Nevertheless, if an area where takes place a movement of in-­migration because of positive conditions (pull factors), this will be generally increased the population or human resources. Similarly, if an area where takes place a movement of out-­migration due to negative conditions (push factors), this area will lose their population or human resources. Some time it affects the negative impacts and potential challenges for sustainable socio-­economic development of this area. Therefore, this study is based on some specific areas of Myanmar: Hpa-­an Township, Kayin State and Mrauk-­U Township, Rakhine State where migration process takes place by focusing the question of how and why the people are migrating in these areas. This paper is intended to explore the migration patterns of these are as and to point out the main reasons of push and pull factors for these migrations. To obtain the relevant data, it is analyzed with field observation and in semi-­structured in-­depth interview survey method to the local authorities, experts and local people. Some of the facts from the interview data are assessed by SWOT Analysis to know the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats due to migration. As a result from this study, economic condition is the key factor of the migration for the study areas and that effect on the socioeconomic condition of these areas.".....Paper delivered at the International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-­26 July 2015.
Creator/author: Saw Yu May
Source/publisher: International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-­26 July 2015
2015-09-04
Date of entry/update: 2015-09-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 724.74 KB
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Description: Abstract: "This paper draws on case studies of Burmese migrants in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand, to explore concepts and theories of migration, uneven development and acculturation in which migrants engages in the new environment of urban societies. It examines the new emergence of push-­pull factors of migration, mainly economic reason and urban attractions, which bring Burmese migrants into the city. Further, the paper pays more attention on the concept of uneven development, which comes along with the process of development in urban areas. It discusses about the cities like Chiang Mai as a place where provides residents to access not only greater opportunities for work, activity and key good as well as services, but the places also emerge alongside rising urban inequality for a certain group of people, particularly Burmese migrant workers are recognized as a local symbol of inequality in Chiang Mai, as well as in Asia region. Lastly, the paper focuses analytical attention on ?way of life? of Burmese migrants of varying cultural, social, political and economic backgrounds, which it responds to the narratives a bout urban diversity and development of the city of Chiang Mai where they encounter. Based on acculturation framework, cultural way of life of Burmese migrants living in Chiang Mai is classified into three main areas; assimilation, separation and integration, and each area of way of life would be adapted by different generations of the migrants. Therefore, one can see the social phenomenon of Burmese migrants, especially Shan ethnic group, would emerge through Thai society in the city at different levels of lifestyles.".....Paper delivered at the International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-­26 July 2015.
Creator/author: Tithirat Pripotjanart
Source/publisher: International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-­26 July 2015
2015-07-26
Date of entry/update: 2015-08-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 375.18 KB
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Description: "...That large numbers of Myanmar?s migrants end up prey for criminals, exploited and discarded, is part of a wider problem. Ethnic minorities, and especially those from groups that don?t have full citizenship in Myanmar, are ripe for exploitation. When these stories hit the news there is some level of outrage, leavened by resignation that there are too many ills in the world. Muslims from western Myanmar are among those who seem to do it toughest when they seek out opportunities abroad. Yet it?s not all doom and gloom, and the possibilities for migrants are probably better than ever. Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, to name just the three most obvious countries, all require huge surges of youthful and energetic labour to take care of the jobs that their own people can?t or won?t do. Foreign labour helps to keep goods and services cheap, and also frees up the Thais, Malaysians and Singaporeans to study longer and harder, and work toward achieving solid middle-class status. This means that the jobs lower on the economic pecking order are open to those who want to build new lives in foreign lands..."
Creator/author: Nicholas Farrelly
Source/publisher: "New Mandala"
2015-05-06
Date of entry/update: 2015-05-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "...Given the economic reform in Myanmar, which will flourish within the next five years, the key question related to outbound labour migration to Thailand (and Malaysia and Singapore) will be whether migrant workers, both skilled and less skilled, will remain in destination countries or consider returning home. In the past, average incomes of families were inadequate to meet household consumption expenditures (household income and expenditure survey in 1997). Consequently, people escaped from Myanmar to find higher incomes in Thailand. Now that economic development is in progress and labour demands for economic, social and political development in Myanmar are obvious, migrant workers? decision to return will depend on two major conditions: political stability and democratic freedom on one hand and economic opportunities on the other hand. The political condition is important because some professionals determined to stay and work in Thailand due to a lack of democratic reform in the past. Less-skilled workers were also affected by the authoritarian regime in the form of corruption, forced labour, forced relocation and armed conflict. Both groups will have a serious consideration to return when they are assured of political stability. Myanmar people are highly attached to their homeland and always want to go back..."
Creator/author: Supang Chantavanich
Source/publisher: IDE-JETRO Policy Review on Myanmar Economy No.7
2012-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2012-12-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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