Myanmar Spring Chronicle – September 7 Scene
(MoeMaKa) September 8, 2024
Various social classes are leaving a nation on the verge of collapse.
Shops selling Myanmar food are popping up like mushrooms in neighboring Thailand, in cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The reason behind the establishment of famous, well-known eateries and businesses in Thailand can easily be attributed to the growing migration of many Myanmar nationals into Thailand. But why are more Myanmar citizens leaving their country? Two major reasons are the expanding civil war and the forced conscription of young men and women into the military.
It’s not surprising that young people can no longer stay in a country where military registration, forced recruitment, and illegal arrests are happening, with soldiers coming directly to their homes.
However, not every young person facing forced military service is able to flee Myanmar. For those who consider fleeing, the first factor to weigh is family responsibility. For those looking after their parents or relatives, no matter how dangerous or worrisome the situation in Myanmar may be, leaving the country isn’t a viable option. For those who can leave, the decision comes with calculating the cost of accommodation, visas, and living expenses in a foreign country, as well as questions about job opportunities and how long their savings will last. Different social classes face varying opportunities and choices.
In some areas controlled by ethnic armed groups, even before the coup government enforced widespread military conscription, families in towns and villages were already being required to send at least one member to the army.
Even before the coup, during periods when the civil war was less intense, forced conscription was widespread in Shan State and northern Myanmar. Back then, many young people had to join monasteries as a means of avoiding conscription. Now that the coup regime is enforcing military recruitment nationwide, those in ethnic regions, who have long been fearful and forced to flee, find their concerns validated.
Young people are attempting to leave the country to avoid military service, and many middle-aged adults and seniors from cities like Mandalay, Lashio, Taunggyi, Naypyidaw, and Yangon are also moving to neighboring Thailand, fearing that the conflict will eventually reach their cities.
Some are selling off their properties, such as apartments and land, and using the proceeds to buy homes in Thailand. Others, unable to afford such purchases, are renting homes. Wealthier individuals are purchasing condos worth millions of baht in cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya. This group is small, consisting of coup supporters and opponents alike, who have found refuge in Thailand.
Families without much financial means or professional skills are trying to live as migrant workers in Thailand. For locals from areas bordering Thailand, such as Tanintharyi, Karen, Mon, Kayah, and eastern Shan State, crossing the border into Thailand is not a difficult task. However, some still resort to paying human traffickers around 20,000 baht per person to smuggle them into Thailand.
Illegal entry risks arrest, leading to deportation back to Myanmar. Even if they manage to avoid arrest, once in Thailand, they end up working in low-paying jobs to repay the debt incurred from their journey, while sending small sums of around 4,000 or 5,000 baht monthly to support their families back home.
Thailand is the primary destination for Myanmar youth fleeing the country, with Malaysia coming in second, and the Middle East, particularly Arab countries, being the third destination.
The enforcement of the military conscription law and the escalating civil war are pushing people from all walks of life to temporarily or permanently flee Myanmar. For the coup regime, which has an increasingly weakened army, this conscription effort is a means of gathering untrained manpower. This labor depletion due to forced conscription will further damage the country’s already fragile economy.