The regime’s newly-appointed Minister of Labour Chit Swe said that he wants to limit the number of migrant workers from Myanmar going abroad per year to 200 each for Thailand and Japan, and 100 for Malaysia, during a meeting with employment agencies on Feb. 15, agents who attended the meeting told DVB.
“Since the minister’s appointment, foreign exit permits and agencies have been increasingly under tighter scrutiny,” an employment agency owner told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
The minister’s comments were viewed as another attempt to restrict men aged 18 to 35 from leaving the country. The regime has suspended the departure of migrant workers from Myanmar to Thailand through its bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Feb. 13.
Overseas employment agencies may soon be required to pay a licensing fee of up to 500 million MMK ($110,000 USD). The exact figure has yet to be determined by the regime and DVB cannot independently confirm this figure.
On Jan. 31, the regime stopped issuing Overseas Worker Identification Cards (OWIC) to males aged 18 to 35. It later included returning migrant workers with passports allowing them to work overseas.
“Brokers are lying, saying it’s still possible to leave,” said a man in Myanmar seeking work in Singapore on the condition of anonymity. He added that there should be a clear official notice from the regime.
Myanmar has around 600 licensed overseas employment agencies, and had sent nearly 10,000 workers abroad each month before the restrictions on travel were implemented by the regime.
Migrant workers from Myanmar must remit 25 percent of their monthly salaries, via regime-controlled banks, or quarterly into an account which the regime has access to. Those who fail to comply will be denied passport extensions and OWIC, and may face future travel bans.
Eighteen to 35-year-old men are required to serve in the military for a minimum of two years under the conscription law, which was enforced on Feb. 10, 2024.
This military service can be extended up to five years in the event of an emergency. Since the military coup on February 1, 2021, Myanmar has remained under a state of emergency.
The conscription law also stipulates that professionals such as doctors and engineers may be required to serve until the age of 45.
Men of military conscription age have also reportedly faced travel restrictions when attempting to leave the country using a visitor’s passport for tourism purposes.
Chit Swe, Myanmar’s former ambassador to Thailand, was appointed Minister of Labor by the regime on Jan. 31. He became the fourth person to take on the role since the 2021 military coup.
