A total of 2,027 Myanmar migrant workers were deported from Thailand in 2025 due to illegal entry and employment in prohibited jobs, according to data from the FE 5 Tanintharyi migrant workers monitoring group.
Thailand and Myanmar have jointly carried out migrant worker repatriation processes, with deportations taking place up to 16 times within the year from the Ranong Immigration Detention Center to Kawthaung Township, sources said.
Although the number of deported migrant workers has increased year by year, Myanmar’s military junta has not released official and detailed information on those who returned to Kawthaung. Some deported workers reportedly did not receive permission to return home and were instead forced into military service, according to an official from the FE 5 Tanintharyi group.
“Based on the information we have, most official transfers take place from the Ranong detention center. The list of more than 2,000 people mainly comes from transfers from Ranong to Kawthaung. There are also deportations through other border areas. After arrests and deportations, we have seen no official statements from the Myanmar side. We cannot ask for confirmation. As a result, we do not know whether these people face human trafficking, killings, or other abuses,” the official said.
Monthly deportation figures recorded in 2025 include 149 in January, 200 in February, 250 in March, 208 in April, 81 in May, 229 in June, 162 in July, 99 in August, 292 in September, 90 in October, 137 in November, and 175 in December, according to FE 5 Tanintharyi.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Department of Employment announced that it began issuing pink cards on December 12 to allow undocumented migrant workers to legally work in Thailand.
However, while the Thai government is issuing work permits, it has also intensified inspections and arrests in urban areas, according to migrant worker rights advocate U Aung Kyaw, who spoke to the Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA).
“For Myanmar people who can no longer survive inside the country and plan to enter Thailand, they must be extremely careful. Border areas are under strict security checks. If they are arrested, they need to consider the serious consequences that may follow,” he said.
He also urged Myanmar workers planning to enter Thailand to be cautious due to risks related to arrest, financial extortion, and forced military service.
In 2024, deportations from the Ranong detention center to Kawthaung occurred 14 times, involving a total of 2,005 Myanmar migrant workers, according to available records.
Many Myanmar nationals continue to flee to Thailand in large numbers due to the military junta’s mandatory conscription law for both men and women, as well as ongoing conflict and the risk of death inside the country.
