The Aid Alliance Committee (AAC) told DVB that Thai authorities forcefully entered its rental property and partially demolished a shelter it runs to house Myanmar migrant workers in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon Province of Thailand, on Thursday. Mahachai is located 25 miles (47 km) south of Bangkok. Samut Sakhon is home to a large community of migrant workers from Myanmar.
“We were told the demolition [order] came at the landowner’s request,” said Khine Gyi, the AAC spokesperson. “We still hold a valid one‑year lease. By the time I intervened, part of the building was already gone. We’ve halted further demolition for now, but they intend to return next week.”
Founded in 2015, the AAC shelter provided emergency housing to about 100 Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand, including those injured on the job, unpaid, dismissed, undocumented, or left stranded by the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Bangkok and the regime in Naypyidaw.
The AAC advocates for the rights of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand. It offers free legal services to migrants involved in workplace disputes, including issues over unpaid wages, unfair dismissals, or workplace compensation claims.
Many Myanmar migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation in the fishing, seafood-processing, and manufacturing industries. The AAC regularly intervenes on migrant workers’ behalf when dealing with the Thai authorities.
“Even without a building, we will continue our advocacy,” said Khine Gyi, adding that the AAC strives to improve access to work permits, fairer wages, and better access to healthcare and social services for Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand.
On Feb. 20, Thai authorities ordered the AAC office closed and for it to be demolished by the end of April, claiming it was not officially registered. On April 23, access to water and electricity was cut to the building.
The Thai authorities and the landowner have not commented on what led to the partial demolition of the AAC shelter on May 1.
At least seven informal schools serving the children of Myanmar migrant worker families in Thailand have been shut down over the last four years.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that 1.3 million Myanmar nationals entered Thailand after the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 up to December 2024.
Last year, arrivals from Myanmar to Thailand rose by 28 percent over the previous year. Since Naypyidaw enforced a military conscription law on Feb. 10, 2024 entries into Thailand have more than tripled from Myanmar compared to the same period in 2023. Approximately 44 percent of these arrivals lack official documentation, according to IOM.
The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census found that 2.02 million citizens, or roughly four percent of the total population, were living abroad. Out of this number, approximately 1.4 million – or 70 percent – resided in Thailand.
