Burma will soon open a consulate in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, according to a source close to the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok.
Hundreds of thousands of Burmese migrant workers live and work in the northern Thai city and since the political opening in Burma, air routes between Chiang Mai and Rangoon and Mandalay have expanded.
Several Burmese activist groups, media and NGOs working on Burma-related issues are also based in the city of around 170,000 people.
Burma’s Embassy in Bangkok has been struggling to address the various issues Burmese migrant workers face in Thailand, including their nationality registration and work status.