Thousands of Myanmar workers arrested in Thai crackdown

02 August 2016
Thousands of Myanmar workers arrested in Thai crackdown
Myanmarese migrants argue with police to try and get closer to Myanmar's Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Counselor, Aung San Suu Kyi, as they wait for her arrival, as she meets with the Myanmarese community at Talad Talay Thai in the Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, 23 June 2016. Photo: EPA

Thai authorities have arrested and deported up to 10,000 Myanmar nationals working in the country as part of a crackdown on illegal immigrants during the last 10 days, RFA reported on 1 August quoting an official from a Myanmar nongovernmental organization.
Those arrested in the operation led by the Thai army work in markets, shopping malls, and hotels, the official said. Some were sent to Thailand by employment agencies.
Myanmar puts the number of migrant workers living in Thailand at 4 million, with only half legally registered to work there, while Thailand’s Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare puts the number at more than 1.4 million.