CI camps open in Bangkok as Myanmar coordinates with Thailand on Migrant Documentation
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Hsu/ Pearl (NP News) - Aug 11
A representative for Myanmar workers in Thailand told The Statesman journal that more than one million Myanmar workers are living in the country with a Certificate of Identity (CI).
The Myanmar Ministry of Labor is reportedly establishing camps in Thailand to issue Certificates of Identity (CIs) to undocumented Myanmar workers.
Renewals for the Certificates of Identity (CIs) of over 300,000 Myanmar workers began on August 6th.
"It's a CI-to-CI replacement. The CIs issued in January 2022 have completed their four-year term, and we're extending them for another four years. People who don't have one yet cannot apply; they'll have to wait for about three months. As long as you're Myanmar, even without a national ID card, you'll be issued a CI after officials verify your identity. Those with mustaches (referring to a specific group) need some form of documentation. Right now, we're only doing renewals. People who got a CI in 2023 can also renew if they want to. Back in 2022, about 300,000 people got one. We thought there were around 400,000, but some have changed their location or returned to Myanmar, so the number is probably around 300,000. For the 2,670 baht fee paid at 7-Eleven, 1,800 can be considered tax, and the remaining 875 is for the CI and smart card. You can do it yourself, but most of them use brokers. With transportation and other costs, brokers charge at least 1,000 or 2,000 baht more. The money goes to the Myanmar government," said a representative for Myanmar workers in Thailand to The Statesman journal.
While Myanmar workers are officially permitted to go to Thailand, many also enter and work illegally via border crossings, such as Tachileik. The official numbers are substantial: over 500,000 workers went to Thailand under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and an additional one million-plus workers live there with a Certificate of Identity (CI).
"There are over 1 million Myanmar nationals living with CIs. If we had been properly sending them through MOU from the start, there wouldn't be this many. There are over 500,000 people who came through MOU. Roughly, there are 900,000 people with temporary passports and 1.7 million with expired documents. With 500,000 from MOU, it's about 3 million. At most, there are 3.5 million Myanmar workers in Thailand," he added.
Myanmar's ambassador to Thailand, U Zaw Zaw Soe, reportedly held a meeting on August 3rd with government employees and camp managers designated to serve at four CI issuance centers in Bangkok. The discussion focused on a number of key areas: maintaining political and security awareness, a thorough understanding of CI issuance procedures, the necessity of cooperation for a successful process, and the commitment of the Myanmar Embassy to provide support in line with state policy.
In October, Thailand is reportedly planning to issue new temporary permits (known as "backup" permits) for illegal foreign nationals, which could affect the estimated 400,000 undocumented Myanmar nationals in the country.
"Thailand plans to issue new temporary permits for undocumented immigrants around October, but those who already have one won't need to renew it. An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 undocumented Myanmar people are currently in the country. People are crossing illegally from Myanmar every day because they lack legal options. Officials think that closing the borders will stop this flow, but as soon as they issue CIs, the cycle just repeats," he continued.