• Burmese
Monday, June 16, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
30 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Thai Prisons Crowded with Illegal Myanmar Migrants

The Irrawaddy by The Irrawaddy
May 23, 2022
in Burma, Factiva, News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Thai Prisons Crowded with Illegal Myanmar Migrants

Detainees from Myanmar repatriated from Ranong in Thailand to Kawthaung in Tanintharyi Region

4.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Prisons in Thailand are crowded with detainees from Myanmar who have illegally crossed the border because of junta persecution and to find work.

Hundreds are being detained each day but Myanmar’s regime has limited the number of deportees, leading to overcrowding at Thai prisons.

Between 60,000 and 80,000 illegal migrants were detained last year after the February coup and around 12,000 more were detained from January to April this year, according to the Thai Border Patrol Police.

RelatedPosts

Defusing the Thai-Cambodian Border Row

Defusing the Thai-Cambodian Border Row

June 16, 2025
130
Sagaing Protesters Condemn Civilian Govt Toll Charges

Sagaing Protesters Condemn Civilian Govt Toll Charges

June 14, 2025
724
Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

June 14, 2025
393

Some 200 undocumented migrant workers were reportedly detained by mid-May.

Undocumented migrants previously faced by 45 days in custody and a fine of 8,000 baht (US$233) which was halved if the detainees pleaded guilty.

However, since COVID-19 the Thai authorities have imposed harsher penalties to control infections with illegal migrants facing 10 years in jail and five years for those who harbor them.

Recent detainees are only being given one year in prison due to overcrowding, according to migrant workers’ groups.

Myanmar’s regime only allows 400 detainees to be deported per week at Myawaddy’s Friendship Bridge in Karen State, citing COVID-19.

More than 2,000 migrants are being held in crowded prisons in Tak Province near the border.

U Min Oo of the Foundation for Education and Development in southern Thailand: “Large numbers are being detained. Since the junta has limited returnees, migrants are put on a waiting list to return. The junta says it cannot diagnose and quarantine the returnees. Thailand wants to send them back.

“Some have been in prison for up to eight months. They suffer from depression and some attempt suicide. Many feel unsafe in Myanmar and the fear combines with the problems of being in prison,” he said.

Food is limited in prison and the Thai authorities have asked labor rights organizations to help.

A deportee, who asked for anonymity, said: “The Thai authorities provide us with two meals a day. It is not enough. Children face many hardships. Except for the food and shelter, the Thai police treat us well.”

Ma Su Hlaing Tun, joint secretary of the Burma Labour Center, which has been helping detainees, said she saw 400 to 500 migrants in Phop Phra, southwestern Tak, being held in very bad conditions.

“They need food and water. They are packed like sardines in a small, abandoned building waiting to be repatriated,” she said.

“The numbers being detained are higher than the numbers sent back,” she added.

U Aung Kyaw, chairman of the Migrant Workers Rights Network in Thailand, said: “COVID-19 is not new. [Myanmar’s regime] should have prepared for returnees. It is Myanmar’s responsibility to take back its citizens.”

Your Thoughts …
Tags: asylum seekerscivil disobedience movementcivilian deathsCoupcrackdownDemocracyHuman RightsjuntaMigrationmilitary in politicsmilitary regimeMin Aung HlaingNational League for DemocracyNational Unity GovernmentNovember 8 general electionPDFPeople’s Defense Forcepeople’s warPolitical PrisonersPrisonsregimeRule of LawState Administrative CouncilState Counselor Daw Aung San Suu KyiTak ProvinceTatmadawThai Border Patrol PoliceThailand
The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy

...

Similar Picks:

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
46.9k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.7k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses
Business

Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

by The Irrawaddy
November 27, 2023
38.5k

Jin San Jiao is latest northern Shan State trade hub in crosshairs of ethnic Brotherhood Alliance.

Read moreDetails
Arakan Army Captures Myanmar Junta Brigade General in Chin State Rout: Report
Burma

Arakan Army Captures Myanmar Junta Brigade General in Chin State Rout: Report

by The Irrawaddy
January 15, 2024
36.5k

Rakhine-based armed group has reportedly detained the chief of 19th Military Operations Command after seizing his base in Paletwa Township.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Coup Leader Showers Medals on Troops as String of Defeats Erodes Morale
Burma

Myanmar Coup Leader Showers Medals on Troops as String of Defeats Erodes Morale

by The Irrawaddy
December 8, 2023
32.9k

Min Aung Hlaing was trying to distract attention from a string of military defeats by handing out 147 medals for...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes
Business

Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes

by The Irrawaddy
June 4, 2024
27.6k

Monday’s arrests follow reports that Myanmar has become one of Thailand’s most lucrative markets for selling condos since the 2021...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Western Media Wrong to Say Independent Journalism in Myanmar is ‘Propaganda’

Western Media Wrong to Say Independent Journalism in Myanmar is ‘Propaganda’

Over 5

Over 5,000 Flee Junta Arson Attacks in Upper Myanmar

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

1 week ago
1.6k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

5 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Sagaing Protesters Condemn Civilian Govt Toll Charges

    Sagaing Protesters Condemn Civilian Govt Toll Charges

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sagaing Region Braced for Myanmar Junta Airstrikes After Jet Crash

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.