New Mon State Party (NMSP) headquarters released a statement on April 25th, restricting migrant workers re-entry to Myanmar. Returnees will no longer be able to enter the country via the Three Pagoda Pass located on the Thai-Myanmar border.
“The government has informed us that they have made arrangements for migrant workers who will be coming back in April and May [to enter the country via the] Myawaddy border crossing. We were informed to [restrict returnees] from passing through the Three Pagoda Pass border, said Nai Banyar Lil, NMSP’s Internal Affairs spokesperson, in a video posted on the Party’s social media page.
The restriction is in the interests of maintaining public health. If returnees attempt to re-enter the country without adhering to the quarantine protocols, there will be an increased risk of spreading the deadly C-19 virus.
The Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) route is the shortest distance to travel from Mon State to Thailand. It is reportedly an illegal route used by labour brokers to transport undocumented workers into and out of Thailand
Nai Banyar Lel added that “for this reason, Myawaddy is the only way to [safely] return home. When returnees arrive in Myawaddy, they will be sent to quarantine camps in states and regions [nearby their communities, and arranged in accordance with] the government’s plan.”
People returning from Thailand are also not allowed to enter Palaung Japan and Guu Bar villages, both of which are under the control of the NMSP.
The NMSP’S Three Pagoda Township Administrative Office issued a letter on April 11th stating that labor brokers sending [migrant workers] via these routes will be arrested and face fines of 50,000 Thai Baht or 30,000 Baht along with three months in prison.
According to an order issued by the authority of Sangkhlaburi Township on April 14, Myanmar migrant workers are restricted from travel to Three Pagoda Pass located in Sangkhlaburi District, Kanchanaburi Province in Thailand. The statement notes that drivers of vehicles will be arrested and face a fine of not more than 100,000 THB, or not more than one year in prison, or both. The order remains in effect to this date.
To help contain the spread of the C-19, Colonel Nay Htut Oo, Minister of Mon State’s Security and Border Affairs, sent a letter to the New Mon State Party (NMSP) on behalf of State chief minister on April 21st, urging mutual cooperation to direct returnees to only pass through Myawaddy border.
Labour activists have pointed out the Thai government has extended their emergency order (which has shut down many factories) until May 31 and implemented a 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew, making it even more difficult for migrant workers to return home.
Myanmar migrant workers living in Thailand and without having proper documents are required to complete a Myanmar Labor Attaché Office form, in order to make the necessary arrangements to return home. The form can be found at this link https://forms.gle/kbxdZLLVbmDM7NYJ9
