Myanmar stops youth going abroad for work

The Myanmar military on Wednesday suspended the issuance of permits to work overseas for citizens eligible for conscription.

The ban came into effect on May 1, local outlet Myanmar Now reported.

Minister for Labour Employment and Social Security U Aye Myint said in an interview to Radio Free Asia Burmese on Thursday that the order to ban citizens from working abroad was a temporary move.

Myanmar’s military government enforced a law in the beginning of February empowering the military to summon men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve in the military for at least two years, in an attempt to boost the number of troops fighting armed opposition groups.

This move came on the heels of pro-democracy protests and resistance groups gaining territory. Those refusing to join the military service could face five years in prison.

Soon after the announcement, more than 5,000 people crossed the border to the Thai province of Mae Sot for safety in April. Even before the announcement of conscription, Thailand has always been a prime work destination for Myanmar nationals, especially because of the higher wages than what they receive back home.

According to the Department of Employment, in March the official number of registered Myanmar migrant workers was 1,359,567 people, 756,456 of them being male workers. A total of 248,629 of them live on the outskirts of Bangkok while another 155,017 worked in the South of Thailand.

These numbers do not include the number of undocumented Myanmar nationals working and living in Thailand. The International Labour Organization estimated there were more than 4 million Myanmar nationals working abroad with at least 2 million male migrant workers in Thailand.

The Burmese Affairs and Conflict Study found that in April the conscription call from the military led to more than 100,000 citizens fleeing the country.