Event Summary
On 10 October 2025, the Thai government announced a 15-day grace period (October 15-29) to register undocumented migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, granting them one-year legal work permits, known as the “pink card”. This policy, stemming from an August Cabinet Resolution, aimed to address labour shortages, formalise the status of undocumented migrant workers, and reduce labour exploitation. However, on October 16, the programme was abruptly and indefinitely postponed, citing it was due to the “current sensitive border situation.” Concurrently, a severe crackdown began. On the same day as the postponement, Thai authorities arrested 131 Burmese migrant workers in Samut Sakhon who had gathered to register, allegedly after paying brokers over THB 40,000 (approximately USD 1,240) each. Additional arrests followed in Tak and Kanchanaburi provinces between 16 and 19 October, bringing total arrests to around 800 by the end of the month. The migrants who cross the border illegally are subjected to significant financial exploitation, having to pay brokers between THB 20,000 and 24,000 (approximately USD 620-744) for transportation alone. Furthermore, the cost of attempting to obtain legal status is even more extortionate, with some workers reportedly paying up to MMK 8,000,000 (approximately USD 2,190) to cover the broker’s fees for the promised “pink card.” Those detained by Thai authorities face repatriation to Myanmar, where they are at high risk of being forcibly conscripted by the junta. Alarmingly, a recent report indicated that Thai authorities repatriated 1,760 deportees from Thailand’s Ranong to Myanmar’s Kawthoung alone, between January and early October 2025, with over 1,700 of these individuals reportedly being forcibly conscripted into military service upon return.