More than 40,000 migrant workers have been trapped in Myanmar since January, when the military regime banned civilians selected for conscription from leaving the country.
Under a bylaw introduced on Jan. 23, men selected for mandatory military service who have passed medicals and are on waiting lists for training are barred from travelling. The new rule has forced over 40,000 documented male workers, who were ready to leave the country for overseas jobs, to cancel travel plans.
The regime has also stopped issuing overseas workers identity cards (OWICs) since mid-February, without explanation, inflicting losses on both employees and employment agencies.
“They had bought flight tickets to countries like Japan and Thailand. Financial losses totaled over US$ 300,000,” said an overseas employment agency executive.
The OWIC suspension followed the junta’s appointment of former Myanmar ambassador to Thailand Chit Swe as Labor Minister on Jan. 31. His ministry halted issuance of the cards on Feb. 14, citing the need to review rules and procedures governing the transfer of migrant workers abroad.
One migrant worker told The Irrawaddy: “I was scheduled to go to Thailand. I could have changed my flight date for $50 but we don’t know when we can leave. So, I decided to cancel it.
Migrant workers back at home on leave are also stuck. Previously, they were allowed to reapply for OWICs and return to their jobs overseas after submitting remittance documents, proof of tax payment, and approval of leave from their employers.
The remittance law requires workers to remit at least 25 percent of their foreign currency income through the country’s official banking system, at an official exchange rate that is far lower than the market rate. They must also pay at least 10 percent income tax.
A source close to the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation (MOEAF) said the policy changes come directly from the regime’s upper echelon.
“The problem is there is no communication between the minister and his staff. Even the ministry directors-general don’t know about the policy changes. No one can predict the changes.”
The regime has barred Myanmar workers aged 18-35 from leaving for Thailand since Jan. 30.
However, while Min Aung Hlaing was visiting Moscow last week, his Labor Ministry sent 24 Myanmar workers to Russia on March 5 as a pilot project and gesture of friendship between the two countries. The workers are the first batch of the 54 that Myanmar employment agency Vista International Co is sending to Russia, according to junta media.
“They were sent to a construction site. There are ample job opportunities in Russia and the salaries there are higher than in Asian countries. Russia has offered jobs as an ally [of the Myanmar regime]. Myanmar workers are willing to go to anywhere.”
The worker agreement has spurred fears that Myanmar citizens could end up on the front lines in Ukraine, following a Washington Post report that at least 136 Indians lured to Russia by job or education offers have been forced into the army.
