More than 2,500 Myanmar migrant workers have been sent to Thailand under a Thai-Myanmar MOU system, according to the labour office of the military council.
Since May 10, Myanmar migrant workers have been sent to Thailand through MOU system via the Myawaddy-Mae Sot No. 2 Friendship Bridge, and as of June 2, more than 2,500 MOU workers had been sent.
Myanmar migrant workers were sent through the MOU system via the Myawaddy-Mae Sot No. 2 Friendship Bridge border checkpoint and the Kawthaung-Ranong border checkpoint. Most of the workers were sent via the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border gate.
2,419 MOU workers via the Myawaddy-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge No. 2 border checkpoint and 110 MOU workers via the Kawthaung-Ranong border checkpoint were sent to Thai companies and factories, the military council’s labor office said in a statement on June 2.
Although MOU workers are being sent legally through the two border checkpoints, there are also large numbers of illegal migrant workers crossing the Thai-Myanmar border.
According to the Thai Border Guard Force, nearly 10,000 Myanmar workers entered the country illegally last May.
Migrant workers’ assistance groups said delays in the entry process through the MOU system and legal routes have led to more migrant workers opting for illegal border crossings.
