As Thai revelers celebrated New Year, Myanmar migrants continued to test the immigration boundaries in search of work in the “Land of Smiles”.

In the run-up to the New Year, a number of migrants were arrested seeking to enter Thailand illegally in search of work.

Twenty-four Myanmar nationals were arrested after illegally crossing the border into Sangkhla Buri district of this western border province late on Monday night, according to a report by the Bangkokk Post. This group was reportedly from conflict-ridden Bago township in Myanmar, having paid 20,000 baht each to brokers for jobs in Bangkok, Samut Sakhon and Chon Buri. They were waiting for transport to their promised jobs.

This was just the latest in a string of arrests as Thailand attempts to maintain control on the borders and travel in large part to combat the possible spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with recent fears over the spread of the “less dangerous” Omicron variant.

Thailand used to be a magnet for migrants, particularly from Myanmar, in the heyday numbering in the millions. But a combination of first the pandemic restrictions, a downturn in the Thai economy, and the crisis sparked by the February Myanmar coup has dramatically altered both official and illegal migrant work in Thailand.

The Myanmar crisis has put pressure on the Myanmar population, with a serious downturn in employment and business. This has put further pressure on an ASEAN country that has long lagged behind its fellow countries when it comes to their economy and development in large part due to decades of mismanagement by successive military regimes, the latest under coup-maker Min Aung Hlaing.