Irrawaddy-Jan 23
Myanmar’s military regime has suspended issuing passports since last week, dismaying many job seekers planning to work overseas away from the social and economic turmoil in Myanmar. The regime suspended issuing passports in December, although Myanmar migrant workers were still able to obtain them under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Myanmar government and relevant foreign governments. But as of January 17, the junta fully suspended issuing and renewing passports, as well as accepting new passport applications. The reasons behind the suspension and how long it will last have not been specified by the regime. Labor rights activists say that the move is politically motivated, as the junta seeks to cut the funds flowing from Myanmar workers overseas to the armed resistance known as People’s Defense Forces. Daw Thuzar Maung, a labor rights activist, said that the majority of Myanmar migrant workers in Malaysia make donations to the resistance movement. “They [the junta] apparently think that people can’t work if they can’t get passports, or that they can’t continue to work once their passports expire. And if they aren’t receiving salaries, they won’t be able to fund the revolution,” she said. “By suspending passport services, the junta also wants to stop anti-regime activists from leaving the country while pretending to be migrant workers, observers say. Top destinations for people leaving Myanmar include Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and Japan. Thailand has the largest population of Myanmar migrant workers, with another 400,000 moving there since the coup, according to labor rights activists. In a December 2022 report, the International Organization for Migration said that “it estimates that approximately 40,000 Myanmar nationals are leaving the country monthly for conflict-related but also economic and other reasons, through a range of regular and irregular pathways, with the majority migrating to Thailand.” Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-stops-issuing-passports.html
