Safety concerns rise for Myanmar migrants and exiles in Thailand

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.