This article was originally published on HaRDstories.
Chiang Mai, Thailand — Su Mon spent a month’s wages – 16,000 baht, or about 480 USD – on what she hoped would be her ticket to a better future: her first passport at age 33.
After more than 12 years working as a domestic helper in Thailand, the Myanmar migrant dreamt of pursuing education or employment opportunities abroad. But when her passport arrived last month, it carried an unexpected restriction stamped in English: “Passport For Thailand Only.”
“After spending so much money, to be told I can’t go anywhere – it’s completely unjust,” she said.
Since September, Myanmar’s military government has been stamping new passports issued to citizens in Thailand with a restriction limiting their validity to the kingdom alone. The policy appears to be designed to prevent political dissidents from reaching third countries, though advocacy groups say it is primarily harming economic migrants who vastly outnumber activists.
A silent policy change
Myanmar and Thailand share a 2,400-kilometre border, and approximately four million Myanmar nationals are estimated to be living in Thailand, according to a 2024 IOM report. Most work in low-wage sectors that Thais typically avoid.
According to brokers who facilitate passport applications and advocacy organisations working with migrants, the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok and a Certificate of Identity processing office in Samut Sakhon’s Mahachai district have been adding the “Passport For Thailand Only” stamp to all new passport applications since September. The passports are issued to migrants seeking to upgrade from Certificates of Identity, basic travel documents, to standard passports.
Repeated attempts to reach the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok and the labour attaché office in Chiang Mai were unsuccessful. There has been no official announcement about the policy change from Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A political tool?
Myanmar nationals have mainly migrated to Thailand in large numbers due to economic disparities between the neighbouring countries. But following the military’s February 2021 coup, the number fleeing political persecution has risen substantially.
Last year, as the junta faced declining public support and battlefield losses, it enacted a conscription law. With young people being forcibly drafted to fight in Myanmar’s civil war, tens of thousands more fled across the border.
U Khaing Gyi, director of Aid Alliance Committee, an organisation that works with Myanmar migrants in Thailand, estimated that about two-thirds of recent arrivals are economic migrants, whilst the remainder fled for political reasons.
“Most people changing passports at the Mahachai office are genuine migrant workers,” he said. “If they’re trying to block political figures, it’s the real workers who are suffering.”
Legal uncertainty
It remains unclear whether the restriction is legally enforceable beyond Myanmar’s control. Geographical passport restrictions appear to be a highly unusual practice under international law.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Thailand is a signatory, guarantees the right to leave any country and obliges states to issue travel documents to enable this right.
“This is an obvious violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” a representative of the Migrant Workers Rights Network said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We have to wait and see how the Thai government will handle this.”
Nwe Lay, who helps Myanmar workers arrange international travel, said the practical impact depends on how other countries and Thai immigration authorities respond.
“As I understand it, if another country grants a visa and Thailand doesn’t object based on this stamp, the military council can’t do anything,” she said.
Because the stamping only began in September, she added, no passport holders have yet attempted international travel, leaving the real-world effect unclear.
When contacted via Thailand’s immigration hotline, a staff member said the geographical stamp would not prevent travel to third countries, adding that they had never seen such a restriction before. The person said holders of standard Myanmar passports should be able to board international flights.
‘All we can do is wait and see’
For Su Mon, who entered Thailand illegally in 2013, the past decade has been a gradual journey towards legal status. She learnt Thai, obtained a foreigner identification card (pink card) and work permits, and worked her way through various documentation upgrades.
The passport was meant to be the final step, opening doors to study or work in other countries.
Now working at a factory in Samut Prakan, a province bordering Bangkok, she said she felt cheated by the restriction.
“If it’s ‘Passport For Thailand Only,’ why did we even need to upgrade to this passport?” she asked. “For now, all we can do is wait and see.”
This story is part of a collaborative reporting project between HaRDstories and Delta News Agency, supported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.