More than 2 million Myanmar migrant workers reject junta’s identity cards

More than 2 million Myanmar migrant workers living in Thailand have boycotted the junta government’s new Certificate of Identity (CI) program. Instead, they have voted through an online Google Form, calling on the National Unity Government (NUG) to issue alternative identity documents.

Through the online referendum, they have shown the Thai government that they recognize the NUG, rather than the junta, as the legitimate government of Myanmar.

An estimated 4 million Burmese workers, both documented and undocumented, are living in Thailand. According to migrant worker organizations, at least 600,000 workers are required to apply for CI cards in this round. However, most workers are staying away from the newly opened CI centers operated by the junta. They have protested against the junta’s new tax and remittance regulations. Critics have described the system as a form of extortion.

Under the regulations, workers applying for a CI must prove that they have sent 25 percent of their earnings in remittances through official banking channels approved by the junta and paid 2 percent of their annual income as tax. Most workers are unwilling to comply because they fear the junta will use the money to finance its war against civilians. They are also concerned that the process would give the junta political legitimacy.

Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers in Thailand and labor rights groups have described the junta’s identity card centers as a threat to national security and sovereignty. They have also called on the government to reconsider or cancel the initiative.

In a weeklong online referendum organized by the Myanmar Migrant Workers Representative Coordinating Committee in Thailand (MMWRCCCT), which concluded on Sunday, workers expressed their clear and strong opposition to the program. Many have made an urgent appeal to Thai authorities to allow them to work and live in the country without CI documents.

Khin Soe of the organization told The Irrawaddy that the referendum results demonstrated the overwhelming support among migrant workers for the alternative identity documents issued by the NUG.

He said, “The junta’s CI process is a trap to extract foreign currency and collect information for forced military recruitment (conscription). Workers understand this, so they do not want to apply for it.”

In a statement on its Facebook page, MMWRCCCT claimed that 2,187,141 migrant workers voted in favor of accepting NUG identity cards as an alternative to the junta’s CI cards in the online referendum. Only 894 votes were cast against the proposal.