Nearly 700,000 Myanmar nationals enter Thailand in 2026; Min Aung Hlaing makes visit to Laos

Nearly 700,000 Myanmar nationals enter Thailand in 2026

The U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on June 23 that 687,000 Burma nationals entered Thailand through border crossings in the northernmost provinces of Tak, Ranong, Kanchanaburi and Chiang Rai from January to April. The report added that 11 per cent of migrants were considered long-term entrants, with six per cent citing conflict and military conscription as a reason for migration.

Burma’s conscription law, which requires men aged 18–35 and women aged 18–27 to serve in the military for up to two years, was enforced on Feb. 10, 2024. It, along with the impact of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Burma in March 2025, contributed to the migration. Based on interviews with 3,504 respondents, IOM found that 41 per cent reported not having any official documentation to enter Thailand.

IOM estimates that a total of 4.6 million Burma nationals are living in Thailand with 64 per cent registered with the Department of Employment (DoE) and 36 per cent in “irregular situations.” A market report in May stated that Burma nationals living in Thailand spend over 221 billion THB ($6.75 billion USD) annually, suggesting that Thai businesses focus on building trust with consumers from Burma.

Min Aung Hlaing makes first ASEAN visit to Laos

Burma and Laos signed a joint feasibility study on a hydropower project with an installed capacity of up to 2,790 megawatts along its shared border on the Mekong River on Saturday. It was signed during Min Aung Hlaing’s three-day visit to Vientiane which began on Friday. This is also his first trip to a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since assuming the presidency on April 10.

The trip comes after Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Min Aung Hlaing to “strengthen bilateral relations” between Naypyidaw and Minsk on July 2. ASEAN has not endorsed the results of the regime’s 2025-26 elections that ended on Jan. 25, which excluded opposition parties and ended in a landslide victory for the military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

But ASEAN has started re-engaging the regime with Malaysian and Thai Foreign Ministers Mohamad Hasan and Sihasak Phuangketkeow making trips to Naypyidaw. Min Aung Hlaing seized power during the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup, which ousted the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) administration led by Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered protests that have morphed into an uprising against military rule.