A group representing Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand shared on Tuesday that it has collected over 1.2 million signatures from its membership, Nov. 1-3, to petition the National Unity Government (NUG) to issue identification documents instead of the regime-issued Certificate of Identity (CI).
“We must stop the regime from continuing to exploit our hard-earned money through taxes, remittances, and CI and passport application processes, while killing our families and destroying their lives, homes and property in Myanmar,” the Myanmar Migrant Workers’ Representative Coordinating Committee in Thailand stated on Nov. 3. The campaign will conclude on Nov. 8 in the hopes of reaching three million signatures.
The group added that it would share the petition with Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, who advocates on behalf of the NUG with the international community.
It is also calling on the government in Bangkok to change its procedures to allow migrant workers to legally reside and work in Thailand using only Thai-issued migrant registration cards, known as “pink cards.”
This refers to the color of the identification cards issued by Thailand’s Ministry of Interior to register migrant workers.
Currently, registered Myanmar migrant workers must hold both a pink card, valid for 10 years, and a CI, valid for five years, to be eligible for legal residence, employment and freedom of movement in Thailand.
A CI serves as a passport substitute but is valid only in Thailand, meaning holders cannot travel to countries other than Myanmar. It can be obtained at five CI centers in Thailand, located in Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Surat Thani, Chonburi, and Chiang Mai provinces.
Obtaining a CI can cost more than 5,000 THB ($149 USD), nearly double the official fee of 2,660 THB ($78 USD) due to “additional expenses” such as broker service fees, migrant workers told DVB.
Workers are also required to pay a two per cent income tax and proof of remitting 25 per cent of their salaries to family members in Myanmar via regime-approved banks or remittance channels.
Anusorn Tamajai, a Thai member of parliament in Bangkok from the People’s Party, announced on Nov. 4 that he had urged the Thai government to review or abolish CI centres and introduce its own identification system as an alternative.
He also called on Bangkok to oppose double taxation imposed by both Thailand and Myanmar.
Myanmar’s regime-controlled Ministry of Labour stated that more than 429,000 CI documents were issued to migrant workers in Thailand between February and Aug. 16, 2026.
The Thai Labour Ministry reported on Oct. 14 that about 4.1 million Myanmar nationals are working in the country. It remains a major destination for Myanmar migrants, with numbers increasing following the 2021 military coup and the enforcement of the 2024 conscription law.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) states that over 2.3 million 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.
Watch our latest interview with Anusorn Tamajai on DVB English News YouTube.
