COVID-19 pandemic, pregnancy care, perinatal outcomes in Eastern Myanmar and North-Western Thailand: a retrospective marginalised population cohort

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine health care and antenatal and birth services globally. The Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) based at the Thailand-Myanmar border provides cross border antenatal care (ANC) and birth services to marginalised pregnant women. The border between the countries entered lockdown in March 2020 preventing cross-border access for women from Myanmar to Thailand. SMRU adapted by opening a new clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar. This study explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and response on access to ANC and pregnancy outcomes for marginalised pregnant women in the border regions between Thailand and Myanmar. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records of all pregnancies delivered or followed at antenatal clinics of the SMRU from 2017 to the end of 2022. Logistic regression was done to compare the odds of maternal and neonatal outcomes between women who delivered pre-COVID (2017–2019) and women who delivered in the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022), grouped by reported country of residence: Thailand or Myanmar. Results: Between 2017 and the end of 2022, there were 13,865 (5,576 resident in Thailand and 8,276 in Myanmar) marginalised pregnant women who followed ANC or gave birth at SMRU clinics. Outcomes of pregnancy were known for 9,748 women with an EGA ≥ 28 weeks. Unknown outcome of pregnancy among women living in Thailand did not increase during the pandemic. However, there was a high (60%) but transient increase in unknown outcome of pregnancy for women with Myanmar residence in March 2020 following border closure and decreasing back to the baseline of 20–30% after establishment of a new clinic. Non-literate women were more likely to have an unknown outcome during the pandemic. There was no statistically significant increase in known stillbirths or maternal deaths during the COVID pandemic in this population but homebirth was over represented in maternal and perinatal mortality. Conclusion: Decreasing barriers to healthcare for marginalised pregnant women on the Thailand-Myanmar border by establishment of a new clinic was possible in response to sudden border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic and most likely preventing an increase in maternal and perinatal mortality

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis A among Thai Population Residing Near Myanmar Border

When compared with Thailand, the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is extremely high among its neighbouring countries. To investigate the seroprevalence of HAV among the Thai people residing in the border area between Thailand and Myanmar, 308 residents in Umphang, Maesod district, Tak, were recruited. Sera were tested for HAV IgG antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The overall seroprevalence among the Thai people residing in the border area of Thailand was significantly higher than that among the general Thai population (71% vs 27% respectively, p<0.05). As asymptomatic or mild HAV infection typically occurs in children, the Thai people residing in the border area may receive little benefit from universal HAV vaccination. Lower protective antibodies against HAV, along with the exclusion of HAV vaccine from the Expanded Programme on Immunization, potentially increase the susceptibility to HAV among the general Thai population and may lead to more future outbreaks if HAV is introduced from the border areas. The findings suggest that HAV vaccines should be recommended to travellers before their journey to the border between Thailand and Myanmar where HAV is endemic

A life in waiting: Thai citizenship and stateless youth along the Thailand–Myanmar border

Many of the stateless children and youth who were born on the Thai side of the border to Myanmar parents have not been granted any legal status in either Thailand or Myanmar. Thus, they remain stateless. Their lack of human security is morally unacceptable especially in a world where cross border activities are natural and human rights are serious concerns for the global community. This research analyses the situation of statelessness in Thailand, identifies some of the key problems resulting from the lack of citizenship and its impact on stateless young adults in areas along the Thailand–Myanmar border. It sets out key challenges facing the Royal Thai Government (RTG) in relation to the concepts of Thai national security, human rights, and human security with regard to stateless young adults of Myanmar parents. The research has employed mixed (qualitative and quantitative) methods to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of social facts regarding statelessness in Thailand. The research focuses on young adults aged between 18–24 years old who were born and live along the Thailand–Myanmar border in Chiang Mai province and Tak province. Qualitative methods such as participatory observation, focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews with some stateless youth, parents, teachers, NGO representatives and the Thai authorities were conducted in order to identify the problems resulting from lack of citizenship and its impact on stateless youth. Quantitative methods such as a set of questionnaires were employed to investigate the opinions of Thai respondents towards the stateless children and youth in Thailand. The qualitative data discuss the causes and the impact of statelessness in Thailand concerning the concept of Thai citizenship and the dynamics of the Thai’s national security policies towards stateless people. The data also suggest that stateless youth who were born in Thailand to migrant parents from Myanmar and who have lived in Thailand their whole lives, or at least for more than 10 years, would prefer to remain in Thailand and obtain Thai citizenship. During their stay, stateless youth have to negotiate their rights with the Thai government through four different aspects of life such as access to education and health care service, legal protection and the right to move which are limited by Thai law. Moreover, the application process to obtain Thai citizenship is difficult, complex and seemingly endless. It requires complicated supporting documentation and depends heavily on the whims of local authorities. Importantly, this application process does not guarantee that an application for citizenship will be successful. In addition, the qualitative data demonstrate that most Thai respondents support these stateless youth being granted Thai citizenship, because they believe that granting Thai citizenship will assist stateless youth have more secure lives. Finally, the research presents the results followed by policy recommendations from four perspectives: the legal perspective, the national security perspective, the human security perspective and the perspective of the respondents. The research recommends that the Thai state amend its national security policy concerning the stateless youth who live along the Thailand–Myanmar border in order to achieve better outcomes for this vulnerable group

PERAN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) THAILAND DALAM MENANGANI KASUS TINDAK PIDANA PERDAGANGAN ORANG DI PERBATASAN THAILAND-MYANMAR TAHUN 2022

Abstract &nbsp; Using the theory of the role of international organizations, this research explains how the role of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Thailand handles cases of Trafficking in Person (TIP) on the Thailand-Myanmar border in 2022. First, the role of the instrument, IOM Thailand helps the Thai government through the The Promise II program which helps Prospective migrant workers from Myanmar receive appropriate qualifications. Second, the role of the arena, IOM Thailand supports international forums discussing human trafficking crimes through the Bali Process forum, Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (Commit Process). Third, the role of independent actors, IOM Thailand implements the 4P strategy to handle the crime of human trafficking. The results of this research show that IOM Thailand has fulfilled the criteria for its role as an international organization in handling human trafficking cases. Keywords: IOM Thailand; Trafficking in Persons (TIP); Thailand-Myanmar; The Promise II. &nbsp; Abstrak Menggunakan teori peran organisasi internasional, penelitian ini menjelaskan bagaimana peran International Organization for Migration (IOM) Thailand menangani kasus Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang (TPPO) di perbatasan Thailand-Myanmar tahun 2022. Pertama, peran instrument, IOM Thailand membantu pemerintah Thailand melalui program The Promise II yang membantu para calon pekerja migran asal Myanmar mendapat kualifikasi layak . Kedua, peran arena, IOM Thailand mendukung forum internasional membahas kejahatan perdagangan manusia melalui forum Bali Procces, Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Againts Trafficking (Commit Process),. Ketiga, peran independent actor, IOM Thailand menerapkan strategi 4P menangani Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan IOM Thailand sudah memenuhi kriteria peran sebagai organisasi internasional dalam menangani kasus Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang. Kata Kunci: IOM Thailand; Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang (TPPO); Thailand-Myanmar; The Promise II. &nbsp

Myanmar migrants living along the Thailand-Myanmar border: Experiences related to pandemic and migration decisions

ImportanceIn Myanmar, amid political and civil unrest, droves of Burmese are displaced to neighboring countries including Thailand. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about the available healthcare services and health and well-being among refugees and migrant workers within resettlement areas along the Myanmar-Thailand border.ObjectiveTo explore the unmet needs of migrants along the Thailand-Myanmar border during the COVID-19 pandemic and their reasons for leaving Myanmar.DesignA qualitative study that used focus groups with migrant schoolteachers and school masters was undertaken. An interpretative analysis approach was used to analyze the data from the focus group sessions. The study followed the COREQ (COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative) checklist.SettingIn July 2022, community stakeholders from migrant schools located in the vicinity of Mae Sot, Thailand were referred to the study team.ParticipantsA purposive sample of 17 adult participants was recruited from 4 migrant schools. The participants were schoolteachers and schoolmasters who had traveled from Myanmar to Thailand 1 to 20 years ago.Main outcomes and measuresThematic analysis was used to scrutinize qualitative data for the outcomes of health and well-being, barriers, and reasons for migration.ResultsThree main themes were identified: "issues related to the pandemic", "teenage marriage and pregnancies" and "migration decisions". The issues related to the pandemic included behavior changes in children, a diminished quality of education, and barriers to receiving COVID-19 vaccines and accessing other health care. There were more dropouts due to teenage pregnancy/marriage during the shelter in place mandate. Migration decisions were affected by concerns over health, civil unrest, and military harassment.Conclusions and relevanceThis study presented the difficulties experienced by Myanmar migrants currently living along the Thailand-Myanmar border. The reasons for leaving Myanmar included health and safety. Suspending education during the pandemic caused more school dropouts due to teenage pregnancy/marriage. Additionally, behavioral changes in children, a diminished quality of education, barriers to receiving COVID-19 vaccines and access to other health care services were reported. Future studies should focus on how migration stress and access to mental health care impact the migrant population

JSPS-2 Risk of FMD Importation Through Cattle Movement at the Thailand-Myanmar Border: A Preliminary Quantitative Risk Assessment Result

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an important viral infection affecting productivity performance of many livestock species including cattle. Beef cattle are still traditionally raised in Thai households with small number of animals per family. However, a number of cattle are imported from neighboring countries, especially Myanmar. This importation is managed to supply the needs of domestic consumption and also to convey animals to the third countries.Tak, a Thailand-Myanmar border province, is a major gateway importing cattle from Myanmar. The animals imported into the province are then widely distributed to different regions of Thailand [1].  Therefore, FMD virus may move across the border and further disseminate across the country.The present study hence tried to comprehend the cattle importation process and employed risk assessment technique to quantify the risk of FMD importation via transboundary cattle movement

Thailand Seeking to Re-engage Myanmar Junta with Asean: National Interest or Political Ambition?

The government of Thailand under Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha hosted an informal meeting to have a discussion on Myanmar in Pattaya, 18-19 June 2023. The invitation was rejected by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore because the meeting disagrees with the ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus issued to respond to Myanmar military coup d’etat in February 2021 and its after-effects. Apart from Thai Foreign Minister, only a few officials at a minister level attended the gathering, including Myanmar Foreign Minister, Than Swe; and Lao Foreign Minister, Saleumxay Kommasith. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines sent their representatives; and India and China were also present. Thailand defended its move, emphasizing that direct talks with Myanmar were necessary to protect Thailand because its territorial proximity with Myanmar had been creating refugee and border problems, and affecting badly their bilateral trade. The research seeks to explain whether Thailand promoting re-engagement between Myanmar junta and ASEAN is only based on the national interests of the country or there are other influencing factors, by focusing on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s political track record and Thailand’s foreign policy under his government; and referring to hedging strategy. The research finds that the policy to re-engage Myanmar junta with ASEAN was influenced by the Prime Minister’s political interest, along with the need for Thailand to protect its national interests. Omnidirectional hedging strategy, in its relations with the US, China, and regional power house such as India, helps as well to explain the move Thailand made with regards to Myanmar and ASEAN

Border Industry in Myanmar: Turning the Periphery into the Center of Growth

The Myanmar economy has not been deeply integrated into East Asia’s production and distribution networks, despite its location advantages and notably abundant, reasonably well-educated, cheap labor force. Underdeveloped infrastructure, logistics in particular, and an unfavorable business and investment environment hinder it from participating in such networks in East Asia. Service link costs, for connecting production sites in Myanmar and other remote fragmented production blocks or markets, have not fallen sufficiently low to enable firms, including multi-national corporations to reduce total costs, and so the Myanmar economy has failed to attract foreign direct investments.Border industry offers a solution. The Myanmar economy can be connected to the regional and global economy through its borders with neighboring countries, Thailand in particular, which already have logistic hubs such as deep-sea ports, airports and trunk roads. This paper examines the source of competitiveness of border industry by considering an example of the garment industry located in the Myanmar-Thai border area. Based on such analysis, we recognize the prospects of border industry and propose some policy measures to promote this on Myanmar soil

RINGKASAN HASIL PENELITIAN MIGRASI TRANSNASIONAL DAN IDENTITAS DIASPORA DI KOTAKOTA PERBATASAN DI ASIA TENGGARA STUDI KASUS THAILAND DENGAN MYANMAR DAN LAOS

This research has done in the border cities in Southeast Asia, namely Thailand, Lao PDR and Myanmar that straight bordered with China. Border cities are strategic locations for transnational migration, including the mobility of human, goods, information and transfer of ideas, where at the same time also contributed as bridge that linked between two or three different countries in Southeast Asia. China’s economic expansion and people migration from neighbouring countries has influenced the dynamic of economic, social and culture for people who live in border areas, especially in North Thailand. This research focus on the process of transnational migration, the identity of diaspora, and small scale economic activity among diaspora groups in border areas between north Thailand and Myanmar and also Lao PDR.Keywords:  transnational migration, diaspora identity, border citiesAbstrakPenelitian ini dilakukan di kota-kota perbatasan Asia Tenggara, yaitu Thailand, Laos, dan Myanmar yang berbatasan langsung dengan China. Kota perbatasan merupakan lokasi strategis bagi pergerakan transnasional baik manusia, barang, informasi, dan ide-ide, sekaligus sebagai wilayah yang menghubungkan antara dua atau tiga negara yang berbeda di Asia Tenggara. Ekspansi ekonomi China dan pergerakan manusia dari negara-negara tetangga mempengaruhi dinamika ekonomi, sosial, dan budaya masyarakat di perbatasan. Fokus penelitian ini adalah menggali proses migrasi transnasional, identitas budaya diaspora, dan aktivitas ekonomi skala kecil kelompok diaspora di wilayah perbatasan Thailand utara dengan Myanmar dan Laos.Kata Kunci: migrasi transnasional, identitas budaya diaspora, kota perbatasa

Respondent-driven sampling on the Thailand-Cambodia border. I. Can malaria cases be contained in mobile migrant workers?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reliable information on mobility patterns of migrants is a crucial part of the strategy to contain the spread of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites in South-East Asia, and may also be helpful to efforts to address other public health problems for migrants and members of host communities. In order to limit the spread of malarial drug resistance, the malaria prevention and control programme will need to devise strategies to reach cross-border and mobile migrant populations.</p> <p>Methodology</p> <p>The Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) method was used to survey migrant workers from Cambodia and Myanmar, both registered and undocumented, in three Thai provinces on the Thailand-Cambodia border in close proximity to areas with documented artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites. 1,719 participants (828 Cambodian and 891 Myanmar migrants) were recruited. Subpopulations of migrant workers were analysed using the Thailand Ministry of Health classification based on length of residence in Thailand of greater than six months (long-term, or M1) or less than six months (short-term, or M2). Key information collected on the structured questionnaire included patterns of mobility and migration, demographic characteristics, treatment-seeking behaviours, and knowledge, perceptions, and practices about malaria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Workers from Cambodia came from provinces across Cambodia, and 22% of Cambodian M1 and 72% of Cambodian M2 migrants had been in Cambodia in the last three months. Less than 6% returned with a frequency of greater than once per month. Of migrants from Cambodia, 32% of M1 and 68% of M2 were planning to return, and named provinces across Cambodia as their likely next destinations. Most workers from Myanmar came from Mon state (86%), had never returned to Myanmar (85%), and only 4% stated plans to return.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Information on migratory patterns of migrants from Myanmar and Cambodia along the malaria endemic Thailand-Cambodian border within the artemisinin resistance containment zone will help target health interventions, including treatment follow-up and surveillance.</p