According to data from the FE-5 Tanintharyi group, more than 1,700 Myanmar nationals who completed prison sentences in Thailand and were deported back to Myanmar have been forced into military service instead of being allowed to return home.
Between January and early October 2025, the Thai authorities transferred 1,760 deportees from the Ranong Immigration Detention Center (IDC) to Kawthoung, Myanmar, through 12 separate repatriation trips by sea.
Upon arrival, the deportees underwent health checks for COVID-19 and other diseases, as well as identity verification and criminal background screening before being processed for return to their home regions, according to junta officials.
However, families of several returnees said that many young men have not returned, and instead have been conscripted into the military junta’s army.
Among the missing are two residents from Mawt Ka Nin area in Ye Township, who are now reportedly attending military training. Although they managed to contact their families, they are not permitted to return home and remain under military control, according to a relative who spoke to IMNA.
“After they were taken, they were sent to military training. Only after the training ended did they call home, and that’s when their families learned what happened. They can make phone calls, but they’re not allowed to come home or meet anyone,” the relative said.
According to accounts from recently released deportees, some recruits were given only short basic military training before being sent to frontline areas.
The deportations come as Thailand tightens border inspections and has increased arrests. These measures included processing work permits for migrant workers to legally stay and work in the country.
An official from the FE-5 Tanintharyi group said that, in addition to those deported this year, around 1,200 Myanmar nationals remain detained in Thailand as of September for undocumented entry.
“So far this year, there have been 12 deportation trips with a total of 1,760 people sent back. Since the official border reopened, more people have tried to cross, and arrests have also increased,” the official said.
Due to Myanmar’s conscription law and worsening living conditions, many people continue to cross into Thailand without proper documentation. In Payathonzu (Three Pagodas Pass), brokers’ houses are reportedly crowded with hundreds of Myanmar nationals waiting to enter Thailand.
According to FE-5 Tanintharyi’s records, a total of 2,005 people were deported from Ranong to Kawthoung in 2024 through 14 separate repatriations.
