RTN ready to evacuate Thais in escalating Myanmar conflict

The escalating civil conflict in Myanmar prompted the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) to keep four ships on standby in the Andaman Sea, prepared to evacuate Thai citizens if required.

Admiral Adung Pan-Iam, the RTN chief, has commanded the Region 3 commander, who oversees the Andaman coast, to ready two frigates, HTMS Saiburi and HTMS Prachuap Khiri Khan, along with two landing ships, HTMS Mannok and HTMS Mattaphon.

The vessels are primed to evacuate Thais from Myanmar if the clashes between the Myanmar government army and opposition forces intensify, threatening their lives.

The border situation between Mae Sot district in Tak province and Myawaddy township seems to have calmed following a conflict in the area opposite Sai Yok district in Kanchanaburi, a neighbouring province south of Tak.

A security source revealed that approximately 120 opposition fighters seized and torched a government military base staffed by 20 soldiers after two days of conflict. The smoke and fire were visible from Thai territory.

The conflict zone was in the Dawei region, approximately ten kilometres from Ban Thai Mueang in Sai Yok district. However, reports of injuries or deaths have yet to be substantiated.

Migrant workers

The Ministry of Labour disclosed that in addition to traditional routes of arrival by land and sea, Myanmar migrant workers have now been granted permission to arrive in Thailand by air.

Amid the ongoing conflict along the Thai-Myanmar border, migrant workers from Myanmar can fly from Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, to Bangkok via Don Mueang International Airport, after a labour-related memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Thai and Myanmar governments.

This air route offers a safer mode of transport compared to land or sea, especially considering that the border conflict has disrupted or even ceased work placements in the country, particularly near the Myawaddy-Mae Sot checkpoint.

The Myanmar government requested the introduction of air travel options for Myanmar migrant workers, stated Somchai Morakotsriwan, Director-Deneral of the Department of Employment. To date, 5,547 workers have applied to travel by air, having initially planned to enter the country via land border checkpoints.

Employers of those travelling by air are required to notify the immigration authorities at Don Mueang Airport of the incoming Myanmar nationals in advance. Employers are also expected to arrange transportation to bring migrant workers from the airport directly to a designated facility for health examinations.

Migrant workers who fail the health test will be immediately sent back to Myanmar. Those who pass the test will be taken by their employers for mandatory training at the local employment office.