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Foreign food assistance

Thai Government Lifts Decades-Long Ban on Working Rights for Myanmar Refugees

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Thai government has made a significant policy shift by lifting a decades-long ban on allowing Myanmar refugees to work. The move comes amid the US cutting off humanitarian aid programs, leaving aid agencies to scramble for new funding sources. The resolution allows approximately 80,000 long-term refugees to stay and work in Thailand, supporting themselves and their families. This decision has been welcomed by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and aid organizations, who see it as a crucial step towards self-sufficiency and economic participation for the refugees.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Thai government has lifted a decades-long ban on working rights for approximately 80,000 long-term Myanmar refugees living in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border.
  • The move comes amid US aid cuts, with the US having been the largest funder of food aid for the refugees, and an influx of new refugees driven out of Myanmar by a raging civil war.
  • The UNHCR welcomes the decision, but advocates for expanding it to include all refugees and notes that it could set a "regional benchmark" for a "rights-based refugee solution."
  • Aid and advocacy groups had been urging the government to grant refugees working rights for years, citing the need for more self-sufficiency and economic participation.
  • The current homes in the camps are dilapidated, with few having electricity or running water, and most homes are huts built of bamboo, wood, and thatch.
  • The refugees will be able to work in various sectors, including farm and entry-level service jobs in kitchens, warehouses, and hotels, but may not be suitable for more complex jobs like fishing or construction.
  • The planned work permits should help refugees to bargain for higher wages and take abusive employers to the authorities.

Statistics:

  • Approximately 80,000 long-term Myanmar refugees will be allowed to stay and work in Thailand.
  • The US cuts have resulted in TBC having to cancel rations for most refugees, and the agency has been forced to issue an "emergency funding appeal" to donors.
  • Thailand's migrant labor force has declined by an estimated 500,000-900,000 workers from Cambodia.
  • The refugees in the border camps may help fill at least some of the gap left in so-called "3D jobs," those considered dirty, difficult, or dangerous.

Sources:

  • TBC (The Border Consortium)
  • Thai government statement
  • UNHCR
  • DW (Deutsche Welle)
  • The Border Consortium (TBC)
  • Thai Ministry of Labor
  • Thailand's Chulalongkorn University

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