Underpaid and overworked: Life of Myanmar migrants in Thailand
Myanmar's February 2021 coup has driven many to leave their homeland in search of a better life in neighboring Thailand — home to nearly two million Myanmar migrants. In the capital Bangkok, some are trying to improve their working conditions and integrate into society — by learning Thai.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 I started to work in a restaurant and I was able to make a living.
00:05 I started to work in a restaurant and I was able to make a living.
00:11 George Sintaik works two jobs.
00:16 Six nights a week, he spends an hour setting up a stall
00:20 before working from 10pm to 8am in a shop in a wholesale market in Bangkok.
00:27 For a 10-hour overnight shift, he makes 500 baht, around 14 US dollars.
00:33 Although the salary is slightly higher than the minimum daily wage,
00:40 working days should only be 8 hours long according to Thai law.
00:44 His compatriot, Nang San-o, who goes by her Thai nickname Da
00:51 and has lived in Thailand for a decade, faces similar circumstances.
00:56 Long hours, low pay, and poor working conditions.
01:00 I don't work on Sundays.
01:04 If I work more than 3 days a month, I get fired.
01:09 Da and Jo are among the nearly 2 million registered Myanmar migrants working in Thailand.
01:20 According to Human Rights Watch,
01:23 since the Myanmar military launched a coup in February 2021,
01:27 at least 45,000 Myanmar citizens have fled to neighbouring Thailand.
01:32 Some of them, including Jo, have found their way to Bangkok's Chinatown.
01:39 Despite not speaking Thai and having no job lined up,
01:44 he was determined to leave Myanmar.
01:48 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
01:53 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
01:59 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
02:04 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
02:07 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
02:10 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
02:13 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
02:18 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
02:23 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
02:26 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
02:31 Not speaking Thai means job prospects are limited to low-skilled positions,
02:37 even for those with a university degree like Jo.
02:41 I was very happy to be able to leave Thailand.
02:49 He now attends a Thai language class every Sunday morning.
02:53 It's free of charge for Myanmar migrants in the area who want to learn Thai.
02:58 The project is funded by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.
03:03 Whether he gets to sleep less or not,
03:08 he's always ready to come early and study hard.
03:13 He hardly uses his phone,
03:15 he hardly ever turns off his phone during class.
03:18 It gives me the energy to get out of him.
03:22 Da also comes to this school,
03:29 but as a cleaner rather than a student.
03:32 After living in Thailand for a decade,
03:35 she's comfortable speaking Thai.
03:37 But she plans to sign up for the class soon
03:40 to improve her reading and writing skills.
03:43 I can speak Thai now.
03:47 If I'm not speaking Thai, I can find a job without having to speak Thai.
03:51 I couldn't speak Thai before, so I was cheated on many times.
03:55 Many people who came to study here,
03:59 but they don't come to study anymore because they have to work two jobs.
04:02 They see money as more important than language.
04:06 They have to pay for food, rent, and water bills.
04:13 Chinatown is a vibrant district in the heart of Bangkok.
04:20 At night, both locals and tourists visit street food stalls that line the main road.
04:26 The sprawling Sampheng Market, where many migrants work, is around the corner.
04:35 Despite being the driving force of this area,
04:38 the workers live in the shadows.
04:40 Many share cramped living quarters with other migrants to save every penny they can.
04:47 Every square meter is a value that can be used to create money.
04:54 So, renting a place for a few thousand baht a month
05:01 doesn't seem worth it.
05:04 So, the living space is often cramped.
05:08 But for Myanmar migrants living and working in the area,
05:13 earning money to send home is the priority.
05:16 As getting a Thai work permit is difficult,
05:20 brokers often exploit the migrants' willingness to work
05:23 by charging fees they can barely afford.
05:26 I don't have a job.
05:28 I don't have a job because I'm Thai.
05:31 I'm a migrant.
05:34 I'm a migrant.
05:36 I'm a migrant.
05:38 I'm a migrant.
05:40 I'm a migrant.
05:42 I'm a migrant.
05:44 I'm a migrant.
05:46 All of these documents end up costing Jo more than 1,100 US dollars,
05:51 and they are only valid for a year.
05:54 He says renewing them would cost around 280 US dollars.
06:01 [Migrant's voices]
06:05 The language barrier and financial burden
06:08 also affect migrants' access to health care.
06:11 I can speak, but I can't pronounce the words.
06:15 When I go to the doctor,
06:17 I can't answer the doctor's questions.
06:21 I have to pay 1,000 baht for each visit.
06:23 If I don't have 2,000 or 3,000 baht,
06:25 I don't dare to go to the clinic.
06:29 While the situation in Thailand is far from ideal,
06:33 going back to Myanmar is not an option for Da and Jo.
06:37 The UN said in December 2023
06:41 that a third of Myanmar's population needs humanitarian assistance.
06:45 That's one million more than in the previous year,
06:48 and almost 19 times higher than what it was before the coup three years ago.
06:54 [Migrant's voices]
07:05 Da has two children who live in Myanmar with her boyfriend's relatives.
07:12 She has not been back home since her youngest was born three years ago.
07:17 Da wants to build up savings,
07:20 and once the situation improves in Myanmar, she wants to return home.
07:24 I want to go back to Burma.
07:30 I was born in Burma, and I love my country.
07:33 I don't want to go to any other country.
07:38 I don't want to go far away from my siblings, my mother,
07:42 I don't want to be in a family anymore.
07:45 For Jo, he hopes to eventually leave Thailand
07:49 and make it to the United States.
07:51 [Migrant's voices]
08:18 But as long as they're in Thailand,
08:20 people like Laila and Apinya want to help make sure
08:23 migrants have decent working and living conditions.
08:26 I want to choose what I want to eat,
08:30 what time I want to sleep,
08:33 and what I want to do in my life.
08:37 I want to work normally,
08:43 like everyone else, from 8 to 5 p.m.
08:47 I have one hour of rest during the day,
08:50 and my salary is not less than 500 baht.
08:53 I'm happy with that.