Burmese Migrant Research Articles

Youthsense: Empowering Burmese Migrant Youths with Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Training in Mae Sot, Thailand

Youthsense: Empowering Burmese Migrant Youths with Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Training in Mae Sot, Thailand

The Guideline Development for COVID-19 Control and Prevention among Burmese Migrant Workers Community at the Thai-Myanmar Border

การศึกษาแบบผสมผสานครั้งนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาศักยภาพในการควบคุมป้องกันโรคโควิด 19 และเพื่อสร้างแนวทางการควบคุมป้องกันโรคโควิด 19 ในชุมชนที่มีแรงงานต่างด้าวชาวพม่าตามแนวชายแดนไทย-พม่า แบ่งเป็น 2 ระยะ ระยะที่ 1 ศึกษาเชิงปริมาณกับกลุ่มตัวอย่าง จำนวน 300 คน โดยการสุ่มอย่างเป็นระบบและเก็บรวบรวมข้อมูลด้วยแบบสอบถาม ระยะที่ 2 ศึกษาเชิงคุณภาพกับกลุ่มตัวอย่าง จำนวน 60 คน โดยการสุ่มแบบเจาะจง และเก็บรวบรวมข้อมูลโดยการทำเวทีประชาคม วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลด้วย Binary logistic regression และ Content analysis ผลการศึกษา พบว่า กลุ่มตัวอย่างมีศักยภาพในการควบคุมป้องกันโรคโควิด 19 อยู่ในระดับสูง ร้อยละ 59.33 ปัจจัยที่มีผลต่อศักยภาพในการควบคุมป้องกันโรคโควิด 19 ได้แก่ การเรียนหนังสือ การมีงานทำ ระยะเวลาอยู่ในชุมชน สถานที่พักอาศัย การป่วยด้วยโรคโควิด19 การตรวจหาเชื้อโควิด 19 และการรับรู้ความรุนแรงโรค ส่วนแนวทางในการควบคุมป้องกันโรคโควิด 19 ในชุมชน ได้แก่ 1) สร้างอาสาสมัครแรงงานต่างด้าวในการควบคุมป้องกันโรค 2) ส่งเสริมและสนับสนุนแรงงานต่างด้าวให้เข้าถึงอุปกรณ์ป้องกันโรค และฉีดวัคซีน 3) ตรวจคัดกรองโรค 4) พัฒนาศักยภาพการควบคุมป้องกันโรคในกลุ่มที่มีศักยภาพต่ำ 5) สร้างการรับรู้ความรุนแรงของโรค และ 6) จัดสถานที่กักตัวผู้ที่ตรวจพบการติดเชื้อ ข้อเสนอแนะ หน่วยงานที่เกี่ยวข้องควรนำแนวทางการควบคุมป้องกันโรคโควิด 19 ทั้ง 6 ขั้นตอนไปประยุกต์ใช้ในชุมชนที่มีแรงงานต่างด้าว

Space of Compromise: Border Control and the Limited Inclusion of Burmese Migrants in China

Enforcement of border control has become a global trend as nation-states endeavor to regulate cross-border flows and handle security risks posed by migrants. This article analyzes the China–Myanmar border, which is hitherto neglected in the literature but undergoes innovative experimentation in border control, to complement the well-established literature on border enforcement. We draw on a theoretical framework based on the work of Gramsci in relation to hegemony and compromise. An analysis of compromise in border politics can unpack the complexity of borders and demonstrate that border control can be accomplished through means other than walls and militarization. It is found that Burmese migrant workers are economically included in and spatially limited by Chinese border cities, giving rise to a mode of limited inclusion for border control. This mode turns border cities into spaces of compromise where Burmese migrants can live and work but must endure economic exploitation, spatial confinement, and social discrimination. We argue that China’s compromise-oriented border control toward Burmese migrants offers evidence of how border can become flexible and prohibitive and be enforced through intense surveillance, policing, and fear in the border cities, instead of only at the borderline. With militarized border control remaining highly capricious and controversial, compromise-driven institutional arrangement (through the armor of coercion) to handle the tension among national security, capital accumulation, and labor supply does arguably offer an alternative but has its flaws. Key Words: border control, China–Myanmar border, compromise, hegemony, limited inclusion.

Burmese Migrant Women and Access to Justice in Thailand

The aim of research was to examine causes and effects of conflicts toward migration of Burmese women into Thailand as well as access to justice of Burmese women. This qualitative research was collected data from experts which were police officers, attorneys, judges and 120 people related to research area which were 60 NGO workers and 60 Burmese migrant women. Data collection was carried out in 3 provinces in Thailand which was Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Tak. Methodology for data collect was in-depth interview that relevant to the purpose of study. The data then was conducted by content analysis and presented through descriptive research. The study determined that causes of migration of Burmese women into Thailand were conflicts on ethnic minorities, military dictatorship, human rights violation, poverty, yearning for human right and better living for family, and other violence such as labour abuse, exploitation, violation and sexual harassment. Burmese migrant women possibly face various effects in Thailand such as labour abuse, exploitation, violation sexual harassment, prostitution and inaccessible justice. The significant effect for Burmese migrant women was inaccessible on justice system in Thailand and their right or equity to justice was non-existent. Due to illegal migration and no legal identity and verification, Burmese migrant women fled from administrative officers and they can face illegal employment, extortion, prostitution or human trafficking coercion. Consequently, Burmese migrant women were insecure to meet prosecution with their illegal status as well as barrier in communication and identity verification issue. The research provide recommendation that due to vulnerability, lack of human right and opportunity to Burmese migrant women in Thailand, cooperation between Thai and Burmese government must contribute in order to solicited to resolve the issues and support “adaptation toward right to justice in Thailand”.

Burmese Migrant Women and Access to Justice in Thailand

The aim of research was to examine causes and effects of conflicts toward migration of Burmese women into Thailand as well as access to justice of Burmese women. This qualitative research was collected data from experts which were police officers, attorneys, judges and 120 people related to research area which were 60 NGO workers and 60 Burmese migrant women. Data collection was carried out in 3 provinces in Thailand which was Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Tak. Methodology for data collect was in-depth interview that relevant to the purpose of study. The data then was conducted by content analysis and presented through descriptive research. The study determined that causes of migration of Burmese women into Thailand were conflicts on ethnic minorities, military dictatorship, human rights violation, poverty, yearning for human right and better living for family, and other violence such as labour abuse, exploitation, violation and sexual harassment. Burmese migrant women possibly face various effects in Thailand such as labour abuse, exploitation, violation sexual harassment, prostitution and inaccessible justice. The significant effect for Burmese migrant women was inaccessible on justice system in Thailand and their right or equity to justice was non-existent. Due to illegal migration and no legal identity and verification, Burmese migrant women fled from administrative officers and they can face illegal employment, extortion, prostitution or human trafficking coercion. Consequently, Burmese migrant women were insecure to meet prosecution with their illegal status as well as barrier in communication and identity verification issue. The research provide recommendation that due to vulnerability, lack of human right and opportunity to Burmese migrant women in Thailand, cooperation between Thai and Burmese government must contribute in order to solicited to resolve the issues and support “adaptation toward right to justice in Thailand”.

Improving Mental Health Outcomes of Burmese Migrant and Displaced Children in Thailand: a Community-Based Randomized Controlled Trial of a Parenting and Family Skills Intervention.

Clinicaltrials.gov: https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01829815.

Thailand's health screening policy and practices: The case of Burmese migrants with tuberculosis

Burmese migrant workers who work legally in Thailand have to follow a migrant registration system, which includes a health screening procedure. This paper investigates the health screening procedure of Burmese migrants in Thailand. Since ethnography is very useful for social research, the investigator of this study employed an ethnographic perceptive, in which the dual roles of the ethnographer are used to develop an understanding of what it is like to live in a particular setting: the investigator must both become a part of the lives of the participants of the study while also maintaining the role of an observer. The information in this study was also derived from in-depth interviews, field notes, and formal and informal interviews with 13 migrant workers with tuberculosis (TB), 4 members of a TB self-help group, 4 migrant health volunteers, 17 family members of TB patients, and 5 hospital staff.The results of the study showed that the screening of the health of Burmese migrant workers was associated with discrimination, fear that the migrants might spread TB, and the government's concern about the treatment cost. The screening for the health of migrants is especially presented as a health policy to monitor health issues and to prevent the spread of infectious disease to the Thai people.

The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Burmese Migrant Labor in Thailand

The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Burmese Migrant Labor in Thailand

The Perception of Myanmar Development on its Return Migrants: Implications for Burmese Migrants in Thailand

Recent development in Myanmar has created stronger pull factors on emigrant Burmese workers to return to their motherland. Using a survey of 433 Burmese migrants in Thailand as a case study, this paper examines the impact of Myanmar’s development on the probability of the return of Burmese migrants to Myanmar from Thailand. Development factors such as more foreign direct investment, deregulation, and improvement of public services will encourage Burmese migrant workers to return home. Additionally, in terms of economic development, better job opportunities and political stability are also major pull factors for return migration. The main policy implication of these findings is that the chances that Burmese migrant workers will return home are high if investment opportunities followed by job availability and adequate wages can be found in Myanmar. Myanmar and Thailand should implement education programs set up by the Thai government and facilitate Burmese migrants’ children’s access to these programs as well as protecting migrants’ rights during the period of structural adjustment in Thailand.

Burmese Migrant Workers: Dimensions of Cultural Adaptation and an Assimilation Model for Economic and Social Development in the Central Coastal Region of Thailand

This research is aimed at studying the background of Burmese migrant labor, the current state and problems with Burmese migrant labor and the dimensions of cultural adaptation and an assimilation model for economic and social development of Burmese migrant labor in the Central Coastal Region of Thailand. This is a qualitative study carried out between November 2012 and November 2013 that incorporates document study and field research. The research area was purposively selected as Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan and Samut Songkhram Provinces. The research sample was also purposively selected and comprised of 150 individuals, divided into three groups: key informants (n=21), casual informants (n=69) and general informants (n=60). Tools used for data collection were observation, interview and focus group discussion. Data was validated using a triangulation technique. The result of the investigation is a development model in five sections: cost of labor, work conditions, job security, career progression and work sanitation and safety.

Postconflict History Curriculum Revision as an “Intergroup Encounter” Promoting Interethnic Reconciliation among Burmese Migrants and Refugees in Thailand

Recent literature shows that revising history curricula in postconflict settings can either worsen or ameliorate identity conflict. I conceptualize history curriculum revision workshops as intergroup encounters (IGEs) and analyze the conditions under which reconciliation emerges. I conducted participant observation with multiethnic groups of Burmese migrant and refugee educational stakeholders who were holding curriculum revision workshops in Thailand. I identify six “stepping-stones” to reconciliation: hearing other ethnic groups’ historical narratives, realizing that multiple perspectives on history exist, “stepping into the shoes” of others, complicating master narratives about identity, exposing intraethnic divisions to outsiders, and forming cross-ethnic relationships. This process is neither linear nor predictable, and I identify obstacles to reconciliation that may arise.

Thailand’s Hidden Workforce: Burmese Migrant Women Factory Workers.

* 1. Thailand's hidden workforce: Burmese women factory workers * 2. Thailand's industrialisation and labour migration policies * 3. Burmese women migrant workers in Thailand's export industries * 4. Migrant women in Thailand's factories: working conditions, struggles and experiences * 5. Burmese migrant women and families in Thailand: reproduction, children and care * 6. After the crisis: new struggles and possibilities * 7. Burmese migrant workers between two worlds * Appendices * Notes * References

Who Cares? Gender, Reproduction, and Care Chains of Burmese Migrant Workers in Thailand

This study analyzes the challenges facing Burmese women factory workers in Thailand who seek to secure the daily reproduction of their labor power as well as the generational reproduction of their children. It illustrates how the reproduction of workers' labor is crucial for the social reproduction of a global economy in which migration is increasingly central to the changing contours of economic development and accumulation. Based on twenty-four months of research, which included life history interviews and survey responses obtained at three sites of factory production in Thailand, the study charts the complexities of Burmese migrant workers' transborder care strategies, as they manage their responsibilities to their children and natal families. Moreover, in analyzing the care burdens of migrant women employed in non-care sectors, this contribution expands the global care chain framework and adds to the understanding of the intersection of productive and reproductive work in contemporary globalization

Making schools healthy among Burmese migrants in Thailand

In Thailand, a health-promoting school (HPS) program is in place nationwide. However, this policy has not covered Burmese migrant schools. Therefore, to ensure the feasibility of the implementation of a HPS program, we conducted evaluations and an intervention on school health in migrant schools in Thailand. We included 44 primary-level schools in the Tak province in 2008. We were able to evaluate the results of the intervention in 43 of 44 schools in the subsequent year. For measurement, we used a comprehensive school-health checklist with five components: 'personal health and life skills', 'healthy school environment', 'health and nutrition services', 'common disease control and prevention', 'school and community partnership'. The checklist contained 59 items; item scores ranged from 0 to 3. We compared the results of the two surveys (performed before and after the intervention) by calculating the mean score of each item. A 1.3-fold increase was seen in the mean of all items measured in the evaluation (from 1.7 to 2.2, n= 43). Out of the five components, the greatest difference was detected in 'school and community partnership', which increased from 1.0 to 2.4. Notably, the mean score of item 4 of component 5, 'clear definition of the roles and responsibilities with the Burmese community', increased from 0.4 to 2.7. Although further study is necessary to investigate the association between our intervention and the improvements among schools, our school health evaluation and intervention were successfully implemented in Burmese migrant schools.

Between “Voluntary Migrants” and War Refugees: The Health of the Shan Burmese Migrant Workers in Northern Thailand

The Shan are a large migrant group from Burma (Myanmar) found within Thailand. While some Shan migrate to escape the civil war within Burma, others migrate for economic opportunity. Despite the size of this population, little is known about their health. Our study highlights the need for expanded access to primary care among this Shan population. Despite the arduous and trying journeys of these Shan migrants, they do not display the level of health sometimes attributed to health selection among immigrant groups.

Managing pathogenic circulation

This article traces the emergence of human security as a situated political strategy for managing the circulation of pathogens relating to Burmese migrant communities in Thailand. Specifically, it focuses on the intricate and productive interplay of a range of human and non-human elements that helped to bring forth and shape the vernacular micropolitics of human security. The article documents the techno-(bio)political mechanisms of the human security intervention in two of Thailand’s provinces. By enframing, ordering and depoliticizing the complex health world of Burmese migrants in terms of simple dichotomies in which ‘unruly’ nature (pathogens, diseases, bodies) is contrasted with human techno-scientific ingenuity (scientific evidence, technological innovations, managerial effectiveness), these mechanisms render the circulation of pathogens amenable to biopolitical governance. It is here argued that in the struggle to manage pathogenic circulation, human security transforms the issue of migrant health into a technical matter concerned with the (self-)management of bodies and the governmentalization of the Thai state to the exclusion of important but difficult questions concerning a violent politics of exclusion.

Critical times: gendered implications of the economic crisis for migrant workers from Burma/Myanmar in Thailand

This article draws on the grassroots experiences and research of MAP Foundation to examine the gendered impacts of the economic downturn on migrants from Burma/Myanmar1 who are working in Thailand. The article looks through a gender lens at the wages, working conditions, family relations and safety and security issues. It finds that migrant women have experienced decreases in wages, lay-offs, increased restrictions on reproductive rights and increased risks of harassment and extortion as a result of the economic downturn. It also finds that the usually resilient Burmese migrant communities are being stretched beyond their limits, and need urgent protection.

HIV-1 in ethnic Shan migrant workers in northern Thailand.

Northern Thailand has one of the highest rates of HIV-1 infection in Southeast Asia. It is also home to a large number of Burmese migrants, believed to be at high risk of HIV. Our 1999 survey of 429 Burmese migrant workers of Shan ethnic origin in Chiang Mai province found a 4.9% rate of HIV-1 prevalence (5.7% men, 3.8% women). This figure is almost double that of comparable population groups in Chiang Mai, e.g. pregnant women and military recruits. HIV prevention programmes are urgently needed for this vulnerable population.