Myanmar dissidents in Thailand face growing difficulty getting passports

Junta authorities in Myanmar are increasingly denying passports and identity documents to civil servants opposed to military rule and, in some cases, to their children, according to Myanmar nationals living in Thailand and rights observers. The restrictions have intensified since Myanmar’s military held a widely criticised election earlier this year, with applicants at Myanmar’s embassy and consulates in Thailand reporting heightened scrutiny of passport and Certificate of Identity applications. Since the military seized power in February 2021, hundreds of thousands of civil servants have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), refusing to work under the junta. Many later fled to neighbouring Thailand to avoid arrest and persecution. Applicants and labour rights advocates say Myanmar diplomatic missions are now systematically screening individuals through a digital surveillance platform known as the Person Scrutinizing and Monitoring System, or PSMS, reportedly developed with Russian assistance. Those identified as CDM participants or charged under Section 505 of Myanmar’s Penal Code—widely used against anti-junta activists—are increasingly being denied documents needed to live and work legally abroad. One Myanmar man in Thailand, identified only as Ko Soe for security reasons, said authorities refused to issue passports to his two daughters because their mother had been blacklisted for participating in the movement. His wife had worked as an assistant director in a government ministry before joining the protests after the coup. She later fled to Thailand through an unofficial border crossing, while her husband and children entered legally with passports. Another daughter was later born in Thailand. “When we applied for the children’s passports, they took all the documents and photographs and told us to wait,” Ko Soe said. “Later they called us back and said the mother was on a blacklist, so they couldn’t issue the passports.” He said his wife’s passport had already expired and could not be renewed, leaving the family without valid travel documents. “They can do as they like to the parents, but these children have done nothing wrong,” he said. “This is just inhumane, by any international standard.” Anti-coup protesters urge participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement at a demonstration on February 24, 2021 (Photo: Myanmar Now) Other Myanmar nationals in Thailand described similar experiences. One participant in the anti-coup movement, who also requested anonymity, said embassy staff told him he would need to return to Myanmar to resolve his case. “They told me there was nothing they could do and that I should go back home,” he said. He said returning through Yangon’s international airport would almost certainly lead to his arrest. Thailand hosts millions of Myanmar nationals, including migrant workers and political exiles. Many depend on passports or Certificates of Identity to maintain legal status. Migrants who entered Thailand through unofficial border crossings often later use Myanmar-issued identity documents to apply for Thailand’s so-called “pink cards,” temporary identification cards for foreign workers. Several applicants said Certificate of Identity processing centres were also rejecting applications after checking personal data through the PSMS system. A young Myanmar man said officials denied his application after discovering he faced charges under Section 505 for anti-junta activities. “They checked my ID number on a tablet and said they could not issue the document because of the case against me,” he said. Digital rights researcher Thit Nyan of the Myanmar Internet Project said the growing use of surveillance systems to restrict identity documents demonstrated the junta’s continuing repression despite efforts to project legitimacy abroad. “The junta is trying to gain legitimacy through a sham election and a change in appearance, but these actions clearly show it continues to oppress the public and target political activists,” he said. Myanmar’s military junta enacted a new passport law in March after repealing the colonial-era 1920 Passport Act. The law allows authorities to deny passports to people deemed a threat to national security or state interests.

Myanmar dissidents in Thailand face growing difficulty getting passports

Former civil servants who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement say the regime is making it harder for them to live abroad

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