Yangon makes prior arrangements to supply sufficient water during El Niño period

Related articles

• Peace Efforts 2-day workshop concluded in Nay Pyi Taw

  A workshop commemorating the 11th anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) continued for the second day in Nay Pyi Taw on Friday. Under the title on “From Peace and Social Harmony to Development”, the work

• Labour Affairs : MOL Union Minister visits Mingaladon Industrial Park

  On Friday, Union Minister for Labour U Maung Myint visited Myanmar Asia Optical Co., Ltd and Honey Garment Co., Ltd located within Mingaladon Industrial Park in Yangon. During the visit, the Union Minister met with relev

• Strict Remittance Rules and Tax Requirements Leave Myanmar Migrant Workers in Thailand Struggling

  Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand are facing mounting financial difficulties due to a strict military regime policy requiring them to show proof of having remitted 25 percent of their wages home over three months to obtain or renew a Certificate of Identity (CI). Under the junta’s Ministry of Labour regulations, workers applying for or renewing their CIs must remit 2,000 Thai baht (THB) monthly—totaling 6,000 THB over three months—and pay approximately 1,800 THB in annual income tax. However, many Myanmar migrants in Thailand are employed by Myanmar-owned businesses due to language barriers and limited job options elsewhere, earning meager monthly wages of roughly 6,000 to 8,000 THB that barely cover basic living expenses. U Htoo Chit, executive director of the Foundation for Education and Development (FED) based in Thailand's southern Phang Nga Province, warned that the policy creates numerous complex complications. "The policy set by the junta is completely unclear, and there could be many difficulties. We can’t be sure that every migrant worker here has family members living in Myanmar," he said. "Another issue is that some migrants come from areas outside the junta's control, such as Magway, Sagaing, Karenni, and Arakan [Rakhine] states and regions. What happens if they send money back to those areas? There are so many obstacles." Critics note that the regime’s new regulations worsen the plight of ordinary Myanmar nationals who fled abroad to escape the mandatory conscription law only to face substandard wages overseas. "If our wages were adequate, we could afford these requirements. But we fled because of the conscription law, and without proper legal documents, our wages are driven down," said a young Myanmar waiter working in Chiang Mai. "We earn around 7,000 THB, which is below the legal minimum wage. We aren't paid enough to meet basic wage requirements. But when it comes to taxes, we are expected to pay the full rate. That’s absurd. We also have to pay rent, and even if we pay taxes, we receive no social benefits in return." According to Thai government announcements, four CI issuance centers will operate in Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Surat Thani, and Chiang Mai provinces from October 14, 2026, to January 14, 2027, alongside a mobile service unit in Chonburi Province. Workers can apply by paying a 2,660 THB document processing fee at 7-Eleven stores. Labor activists point out that because migrant workers already hold Non-Thai Identification Cards—commonly known as Pink Cards—issued by the Thai government, the new requirements effectively subject them to double taxation, compounding their existing financial burdens. Amid ongoing difficulties with CI and passport renewals, discussions are underway to petition Thai authorities to allow Myanmar migrant workers to remain in the country using only their Pink Cards. Concerns continue to mount over the worsening hardships faced by Myanmar migrants and refugees due to the regime's stringent new tax and remittance mandates.

• Escalating clashes and junta airstrikes push IDPs into severe livelihood crisis

  Burma News International (BNI) is a network of 15 independent media and news organizations based in and around Burma Escalating clashes along the Sittwe and Ponnagyun border, coupled with relentless junta airstrikes, hav