Myanmar labor rights groups operating in Thailand told DVB that they are warning Myanmar nationals living in the country to be careful following a series of verbal altercations and alleged violence in Thailand’s Tak, Ayutthaya and Samut Prakan provinces.
“Some Thais view Myanmar people as those who create unwanted problems,” Moe Gyo, the chairperson of the Joint Action Committee for Burmese Affairs (JACBA), told DVB. He warned that the latest documented incidents risk fueling anti-migrant sentiment and may exacerbate conflict between Myanmar and Thai communities.
A Thai police officer was injured on Tuesday after two armed men, suspected Myanmar nationals, fired at police during a security check in Mae Sot, Thailand, according to residents and police reports.
Mae Sot is located in Thailand’s Tak Province along the Myanmar border, five miles (8 km) from the Moei (Thaungyin) River across from Karen State’s Myawaddy Township. It is 305 miles (492 km) northwest of the Thai capital Bangkok.
“I apologized to the officer and his family on behalf of the Myanmar people,” said El Hani, a Myanmar woman who requested the use of a pseudonym, after donating blood at Mae Sot Hospital for the injured Thai police officer. She added that he is no longer in critical condition but will require further medical treatment.
Following the shooting, Mae Sot residents said police launched an intensive search for the men involved and tightened security across the city. “Even those living honestly and peacefully are being severely affected,” a Myanmar migrant living in Mae Sot told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
On Monday, LGBTQ activist Tin Zaw Htway was found dead in Mae Sot. Her friends and family believe the 32-year-old was murdered. She had lived in Mae Sot for at least nine years, residents told DVB.
Tin Zaw Htway died from severe head injuries. Her jewelry, mobile phone, and unknown amount of money was stolen during the attack, leading many to believe it was a robbery gone wrong. The suspects are believed to be Myanmar nationals, residents added.
Mae Sot is home to an estimated 250,000 Myanmar migrants who have fled conflict in their communities to safety across the border. The city serves as a key trade and migration route into Thailand from Myanmar.
Thai media reported on Monday that nearly 100 residents in Bang Pa-in, Ayutthaya Province, including Thai nationalists, gathered to protest against alleged public disturbances caused by Myanmar migrant workers. Officially known as Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, the former Thai royal capital is located 50 miles (80 km) north of Bangkok.
“Living in our neighborhood is not safe at all. Everyone is scared to encounter them,” a Myanmar migrant worker living in Ayutthaya told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
Thairath media reported that a confrontation between Thai motorcycle delivery riders and Myanmar migrant workers escalated into violence at a restaurant in Bang Bo, Samut Prakan Province, located about 19 miles (30 km) south of Bangkok on Jan. 12.
Thai police fined both the residents and the migrants for “mutual fighting” and temporarily closed the restaurant for regulatory violations, and began an investigation into the legal status of the migrant workers in Thailand.
However, more than 100 Bang Bo residents gathered in the area later the same day to express their opposition to what they described as aggressive behavior by the migrants from Myanmar.
A Myanmar labor rights activist based in Thailand, who spoke to DVB on the condition of anonymity, said that the migrants now fear for their safety. He emphasized that any measures taken by the Thai authorities against migrants must remain within the law.
An aid worker who spoke to DVB on the condition of anonymity added that limited legal support for Myanmar nationals in Thailand makes it difficult to protect their rights.
Neither the Thai authorities nor the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok have issued statements about the reported incidents.
Thailand remains a major destination for Myanmar migrants, with numbers increasing following the 2021 military coup and rising more after the 2024 military conscription law was implemented.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) states that 2,308,166 Myanmar nationals were registered as migrant workers in Thailand in March 2024.
The number of undocumented migrant workers from Myanmar in Thailand remains unknown but is estimated to be over double the official number, according to IOM.
