Inside Thailand’s ‘little Burma’, a refuge for Myanmar’s exiles

Myanmar is once again in the grip of civil war. Since the 2021 military coup that ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, hundreds of thousands of Burmese have fled to Thailand to escape escalating violence and a collapsing economy. Thai authorities are struggling to manage the influx, particularly in border regions. At the same time, Thailand faces a labor shortage – and increasingly relies on Burmese workers to fill critical gaps in the workforce.