Nearly 700,000 people from Myanmar crossed into Thailand in the first four months of this year, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM). The figures underline the sheer scale of displacement as civil war, poverty and forced conscription continue to drive families across the border. The IOM reported 687,000 arrivals between January and April at checkpoints in Tak, Ranong, Kanchanaburi and Chiang Rai. Many were fleeing the junta’s conscription law, activated in 2024, which requires men aged 18–35 and women aged 18–27 to serve in the military for up to two years. Others were escaping the lingering effects of last year’s devastating earthquake in central Myanmar, or seeking work and stability in Thailand. Interviews with more than 3,500 new arrivals revealed stark realities: 41 per cent lacked official documents, while motivations ranged from trade and family visits to employment and conflict. Some migrants were using Thailand as a transit point to Malaysia, though reliable data on this flow remains scarce. Thailand already hosts millions of Myanmar nationals. By late 2025, the IOM estimated 4.6 million were living in the country, with 64 per cent registered with the Department of Employment. Bangkok alone is home to more than half a million, with large communities in Samut Sakhon, Chiang Mai, Tak and Ranong. The exodus has reshaped education and the economy. University enrolment by Myanmar students in Thailand has surged sixfold since the coup, rising from under 3,000 before 2021 to more than 17,000 in 2025. Meanwhile, consultancy firm Happio calculates that Myanmar nationals in Thailand represent a consumer market worth over 221 billion baht (£4.6 billion) annually. For many, the decision to leave was unavoidable. “We can’t live in our country, there are no opportunities for young people and it is not safe anymore,” said one young woman who fled to Thailand. Another man explained he left after receiving a letter ordering him to enlist: “The regime sent me to register for the military, so we moved here.” With conflict entrenched, livelihoods collapsing and forced recruitment continuing, the IOM warns that the flow of people shows no sign of slowing. Thailand remains the primary refuge for Myanmar’s displaced – and the numbers crossing the border are likely to keep rising. -2026-07-02
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