Visual Storytelling and Photoshoot of Migrant Workers in Thailand

While the impact of COVID-19 is felt across the world, the nuances of the specific challenges faced by migrant workers in Thailand remain unfamiliar to most. In order to amplify their voices and raise awareness, MMN has initiated a visual storytelling project. It is our hope that the project will provide migrants an opportunity to tell their stories in their own words, and bring their challenges and resilience into the limelight. From an advocacy standpoint, MMN hopes that these stories will serve as a means of illustrating how the complex legal and policy landscape surrounding migration and social protection impacts the daily lives of migrants, highlighting both existing problems and possible solutions.

“Even I get problems, there are more migrants here are even more suffered than me, there is one woman to give birth new born baby in very soon and she beg for help as she has quite nothing now, I and friends are collecting money and things and will give her soon”
Sandar Oo,
Sandar Oo,44 years old, has been working in Thailand for 20 years. The food shop she used to work is closed due to impact of Covid 19 so she lost salary of 9,000 Baht. Now she relies on working in rubber plantation together with 2 children and her husband who cannot work well because he has got Hemiplegia in some times and when it happened Sandar ask her Thai friend to drive to hospital.
He works to make plates, spoons and forks, as well as art pieces from sea shells. He has experienced a loss of income for a period of four months due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, as he no longer has buyers for the souvenirs he makes. He applied to receive unemployment benefits from the Social Security Fund, which he has been paying contributions to, but his claim was denied.
Yu Kyi,
Yu Kyi,52-year-old man from Myanmar with a disability affecting his leg, has been in Thailand for 19 years, and lives with his wife and two children.
“We feel so stressed as the breadwinners to try to earn enough money for day-to-day food expenses. But on the other hand, we also fear getting COVID-19 by traveling outside the community, as the community leader announced that if they find that anyone has been exposed to the virus they will close the community. We feel anxious at the idea of another lockdown, as how can we survive if we are unable to go outside the community for work?"
Khin San Win
Khin San Winhas her Certificate of Identity already expired but cannot afford to renew it. She recently resorted to obtaining a so-called “police card” which costs 250 baht (8.33 USD) per person per month (to provide protection from arrest) as police have been arresting undocumented workers even when they are just in their house. Back in June, police cracked down, arrested 13 her family, and charged them 2,000 baht (66.67 USD) per person for release. They cannot afford to pay the fine. Finally, her family were released by paying 800 baht each, which their employer covered but she will have to pay back later.”
“I want the Myanmar government or the Myanmar Embassy to come to visit us, the migrants from their country, and help those who want to go back home to be able to do so for free. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, I want the Thai government to reduce the fees for extensions of work permits and visas. If migrant workers can register for free it would be very good”
Hein Thu Aung
Hein Thu Aungused to work as a waiter at a hotel in tourist area, Khaolak, Phang Nga. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the hotel to close down. He received unemployment benefit from the Social Security Fund but the amount was only just enough to survive.He really wants to go back Myanmar but he has no money to pay for the cost of the journey.
Prior to the pandemic, he lived with his wife and daughter in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, however his daughter is currently stuck in Myanmar and has been unable to cross the border to return to work in Thailand. His wife has diabetes and cannot work, and local movement restrictions due to the pandemic are currently preventing her from accessing her regular treatment at the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot. His income is inadequate to pay for food and his wife’s medications, and he has had to borrow money from friends and to purchase goods on credit from trusted stores
U Khin Ohn
U Khin Ohna 65 year old man who is the only earner in his family. He is an unregistered migrant and is very worried about the possibility of being arrested.
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Related Initiatives
  • Booklet “Resilience & Uncertainty: Mekong Migrant Workers amid the Pandemic Downturn” – in English and Thai
  • Photo Exhibition “Resilience and Uncertainty: Mekong Migrant Workers Amid the Pandemic Downturn” by Mekong Migration Network and SEA Junction