Myanmar (October – December 2020)

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TRIANGLE in ASEAN Quarterly Briefing Note Myanmar (April – June 2021)

Key partners Mawk Kon Local Development Organization

Northen Shan State Baptist Convetion

Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar

Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation (MOEAF)

Network of labour organisations and civil society

Target sites Yangon, Mandalay, Tachileik, Keng Tung, Taunggyi, Lashio

Focal point Ms Wai Hnin Po, National Programme Coordinator, [email protected], +95 1 566 538

Disclaimer Following the military coup on 1 February 2021, all ILO projects funded by development partners and implemented by the ILO in Myanmar have been reviewed and reprogrammed in consultation with individual donors and in accordance with the current guidance of the UN Country Team. Under this guidance, all activities that would strengthen the de facto authorities have been halted, and no de facto government representatives from Myanmar will be accredited or invited for any tripartite meeting or official event scheduled or hosted by the ILO. However, certain programming can continue if it meets a set of specific criteria, including meeting urgent humanitarian needs for the people. ILO and its TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme continue to promote safe migration for women and men migrant workers through community-based awareness, rights advocacy and service delivery, as well as other support, including COVID-19 prevention.

For more information, please see this document.

Background information

Labour migration has long been an important livelihood strategy for the people of Myanmar. By migrating, families and their communities have been able to survive periods of severe economic hardship and stagnation. It is thought that as much as 10 per cent of the labour force is working abroad, with almost 2 million Myanmar migrant workers employed in Thailand and Malaysia alone (Ministry of Labour Thailand, November 2020, and Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia, September 2019). According to the World Bank, an estimated US$2.229 billion was remitted by migrants in 2019, approximately 3.8 per cent of GDP (World Bank, 2020), which does not include the millions that are informally remitted through brokers or hand-carried back home to family members.

An established policy framework to manage the immense labour migration flows is yet to be developed in Myanmar. As a result, migration remains largely laissez-faire and inequitable, divided between regular migrants who typically head to more developed economies within Asia and the Middle East via formal recruitment and undocumented migrants who travel clandestinely to work in neighbouring middle-income countries. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population (MOLIP) is mandated to manage labour migration from Myanmar and regulate the 330 licensed overseas employment agencies.

Because of the expensive, complex and time-consuming procedures required for formal recruitment through licensed agencies, most migrants continue to seek out the assistance of unlicensed brokers or go abroad independently. The social networks that facilitate these movements were established long before any management systems had been developed to regulate labour migration. The involvement of unscrupulous actors and the lack of accurate and impartial information frequently also places migrants at risk of becoming victims of abuse and exploitation.

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TRIANGLE in ASEAN Quarterly Briefing Note Licenced recruitment agencies were taking the place of old job-matching through brokers. In 2019, according to the Myanmar at a glance Government, Myanmar was sending workers to 18 destination countries through 273 licensed overseas Population: 54.4 million employment agencies. Those agencies still operate in 2021,  Labour Force: 24.2 million although they are not able to send migrant workers abroad.

Source: UN Population Division. World Population Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Prospects: 2019 Revision; ILOSTAT 2019 the entire world, including the ASEAN region. Women and Migrant workers in Thailand men migrant workers in the region are striving to protect their livelihoods and their health through the crisis, yet 424,389 MOU migrant workers many are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and its (Women= 173,248 / Men= 252,141) economic and health impacts.Myanmar’s ongoing 1,002,616 migrant workers under the 2019 political crisis due to the 1st February military coup is Cabinet Resolution1, including migrants completing nationality verification exacerbating these impacts. During this reporting period, (Women= 444,693/ Men= 557,923) TRIANGLE in ASEAN has focused on both a legal and humanitarian response to the COVID-19 crisis. 156,267 migrant workers under the 4 August 2020 Cabinet Resolutions (includes border employment)2 (Women= 68,106/ Men= 88,161) Key developments Source: Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour, Thailand (November 2020) On 1 February 2021, the military declared a state of emergency on the grounds of alleged electoral fraud. All Migrants in Malaysia legislative, judicial and executive powers were transferred to the Commander in Chief (CIC). President Win Myint and Total: 350,605 migrants State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained and (Women=99,232 / Men=251,373) subsequently charged with several offences. Other senior Source: UNDESA, 2020 officials from the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party certified as winning the November 2020 election, were TRIANGLE in ASEAN delivers assistance directly to migrant workers and their communities also detained. In addition, ministers and Members of through three Migrant Worker Resource Centres Parliament were placed under house arrest. During the (MRCs). These MRCs, managed in partnership current quarter, the overall human rights situation in with civil society organizations and Trade Myanmar has deteriorated. While protest action and Unions, are based in Keng Tung, Tachileik, and Yangon. In addition, TRIANGLE provides demonstrations have continued across the country, violence MRC-type services through other non-regime and intimidation perpetrated by security forces against the partners in Mandalay, Shan State, and Taunggyi. civilian population have escalated. Cases of torture of

Since the start of the programme up until the end detainees have also been reported. Widespread economic of 2020, TRIANGLE in ASEAN reached 29,698 disruption is continuing, including severe pressure on migrant workers (41% women) through the financial institutions and supply chains. According to a recent Myanmar MRCs. study by the United Nations Development Programme, the

combined effect of the global pandemic and the military 1 The August 2019 Cabinet resolution allows migrant workers to renew a work permit without leaving takeover could, if unchecked, push up to 12 million people Thailand. This include those who have completed into poverty. This could result in as many as 25 million nationality verification and held temporary passports, travel documents, or certificate of identity. people living below the national poverty line by early 2022. 2 This Cabinet resolutions, in response to COVID-19, granted extensions to four groups of migrant workers, whose work permit would expire during that time, A Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) commenced across including MoU workers with a completed four years contract, and migrant workers holding border passes the country shortly after the military takeover. The CDM has under border employment scheme. engaged in various forms of protest, including the withdrawal of labour and large scale public demonstrations involving the

public and private sectors and civil society.

TRIANGLE in ASEAN Quarterly Briefing Note

This has extended across many sectors with widespread strike action in the civil service, commercial banking, telecommunications, electricity services, hospitals and other medical services, including COVID-19 testing and quarantine facilities and other activities.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, more than 167,000 Myanmar migrant workers have returned from Thailand, China, and Malaysia through official checkpoints from 22 March to 21 October 2020. Updated data beyond October is not available. There are continued reports of Myanmar migrants in detention centres in Thailand with COVID-19 clusters. Quarantine facilities, transportation to migrant workers' home towns and testing facilities were available to most migrants until January 2021. However, all quarantine facilities were closed in February.

Another wave of rising COVID-19 infections commenced in May. The Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports continued reporting daily infection numbers on 27 June, and 157,277 were reported in total up to 30 June. As a result, some areas, including Northern Shan and Chin States, were under a stay-at-home order, restricting movement.

Main programme activities: April – June 2021

During this quarter, TRIANGLE in ASEAN has continued to deliver emergency assistance and information to prevent contraction and spread of COVID-19 to returning migrant workers through partners in Keng Tung, Tachileik, Lashio and Taunggyi in Shan State and the Mandalay Region. Partners have provided packages with essential hygiene items, printed information produced by the WHO and information about the contacts and services for migrant workers. Besides, the partners delivered emergency food supplies to returnees as and when needed.

From April to June, TRIANGLE in ASEAN reached 1,332 returnees (W: 751; M: 581). This includes 624 (W: 331; M: 293) in Keng Tung, 56 (W: 51; M: 5) in Tachileik supported by the Mawk Kon Local Development Organization, 297 (W: 152; M: 145) in Taunggyi and surrounding areas by an outreach officer; 347 (W: 212; M: 135) in the Mandalay region by an outreach officer, and 8 (W: 5; M: 3) in Lashio by Northern Shan State Baptist Convention. Due to a current wave of COVID-19 infections in Northern Shan State, NSSBC could not conduct outreach.

Additionally, Mawk Kon Local Development Organization in Keng Tung and Tachileik conducted training on soap production to support handwashing and income for returned women migrant workers by selling their soap products. Keng Tung MRC also provided training on retail marketing strategies, following the ILO Start and Improve Your Busineess (SIYB) training manual, to promote small businesses of returned migrant workers during this quarter. These activities reached 139 returnees (W: 132; M:7), including 106 (W: 99; M: 7) in Keng Tung and 33 women in Tachileik.

TRIANGLE in ASEAN supported the continuation of Tachileik MRC run by Mawk Kon Local Development Organization. The National Project Coordinator visited the MRC on 11 and 12 May with the Programme Director of Mawk Kon and trained four MRC staff (W: 3; M: 1) on monitoring and reporting tools.

On 24 and 25 June, the National Project Coordinator participated as a resource person for online training for community leaders on migration by the Foundation for Education and Development. Twenty-five participants from different parts of the country joined. The training consisted of presentations of the "ILO Conventions and International Frameworks for Migrant Workers" on the first day and the "ILO Fair Recruitment and Code of Conduct for the Private Recruitment Agencies" on the second day.

TRIANGLE in ASEAN Quarterly Briefing Note

TRIANGLE in ASEAN finalized a follow-up survey on experiences of ASEAN migrant workers during COVID-19. The survey captured primary data from 456 migrant workers in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and returned migrant workers in Myanmar and the Philippines. The survey looked into job loss and job retention, loss of wages, safety at the workplace and accommodation, remittances, work-related abuses and stress, and re-migration plans. Results will be made available in July 2021.

Upcoming activities and key dates (July – September 2021)

The activities below are tentative. Priority is given to the emergency response and reintegration services to returned migrant workers.

Date Event Location Attendees Purpose July to Distribute Mawk Kon MRC, Potential and returned To provide support September information and Keng Tung women and men migrant services and provide services Mawk Kon MRC, workers information to potential through National Tachileik and returned migrant Consultants and Northern Shan workers Partners State Baptist Convention Provide emergency (NSSBC) response and National reintegration Consultants in services to returned Mandalay and migrant workers Taunggyi

July to Translation and Yangon Potential and returned To provide financial September Printing of Save women and men migrant knowledge to potential Smart: Financial workers and families and returned migrant Literacy Tools into workers members Myanmar and Ethnic Language

September Career Counselling Yangon CSOs and labour To build career and Employment organizations counselling capacity Opportunities staff to enhance service training provision to migrant workers

TRIANGLE in ASEAN Quarterly Briefing Note

Media coverage

Date Title Media source

13 May Myanmar banking system near collapse Mizzima News

14 May Thousands queue to apply and renew passports Eleven Media

24 May Thai virus clusters spotlight conditions for migrant labour Reuters

17 May Myanmar job seekers carried Thai IDs Bangkok Post

28 May Left to eat uncooked meat in the dark, workers sealed in Thai factory Coconuts Bangkok protest mistreatment

1 June Over 30,000 face illegal entry charge Bangkok Post

7 June Myanmar migrant workers returned to Kawthaung Eleven Media

11 June 17 Myanmar workers arrested for illegal entry into Thailand Eleven Media

17 June Pandemic response leaves migrant workers in the cold Frontier Myanmar

18 June They work abroad to feed their families. Now they can't send the money CNN home 28 June Myanmar Regime Locks Down Chinese Border Town Amid COVID-19 The Irrawaddy Spike

28 June 74 close-contacts of Myanmar migrant workers in Mae Sot infected with Eleven Media COVID-19 28 June Covid-19 third wave and Myanmar Eleven Media

TRIANGLE in ASEAN extends the cooperation between the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Global Affairs Canada on protecting migrant workers and enhancing development opportunities. TRIANGLE in ASEAN aims to ensure that the benefits of labour migration are equally realised by men and women migrant workers; employers and governments. In shifting emphasis towards leveraging the development potential of migration, TRIANGLE in ASEAN aims to shape labour migration opportunities to support inclusive and sustainable growth in the ASEAN Economic Community. TRIANGLE in ASEAN engages institutionally with ASEAN and focuses on delivering in six countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam).