Some 4,000 young people who have been stuck in the border town of Muse had their debts forgiven this week and were told by employment agents that they could return to their home villages, one of the workers told Radio Free Asia.
The youths have been staying in the northern Shan state trading hub since August as they waited to be selected for jobs at garment factories in China’s Yunnan province.
Factory managers typically travel to Muse — the largest of the trade hubs between Myanmar and China — to hire people aged 18 to 35 for jobs across the border.
While they wait, the youths stay in warehouses. They’re charged 18,000 kyat (US$4) a day for meals, which is repaid to employment brokers once they secure employment in China.
Workers must obtain a letter from garment factories and be accompanied by a factory representative before they can enter China, but there have been repeated delays over the last five months, according to the young worker, who asked for anonymity for security reasons.
Brokers have repeatedly informed people of specific entry dates, only to postpone the dates, he said.
It was unclear what was behind the delays. Migrant workers and aid workers have estimated there are tens of thousands of Myanmar migrant workers already in China, although neither country has released official numbers.
Additionally, brokers in Muse have been holding onto prospective workers’ national registration cards, which are needed for travel within Myanmar.
On Monday, the brokers returned the cards and instructed everyone to leave the dormitories. That left many of the 4,000 young people with few options, even though they are now free to leave Muse, the young worker told RFA.
“We no longer have accommodation or food. We have no money and no jobs,” he said. “Without securing work in China, we can’t afford travel expenses to return home.”
Deceptive agents
Earlier this week, anti-human trafficking police in Muse ordered labor brokers to forgive the accumulated fees for food and lodging if they failed to find jobs for those staying in the warehouses.
Several hundred have already left the city, several people told RFA.
Many of the 4,000 young people were stuck in Muse for so long because they had made agreements with deceptive employment agents, an employment agency official told RFA.
China hasn’t stopped migrant workers from entering, but Chinese employers have increased scrutiny of migrant workers after some agents falsely claimed that workers had sewing skills, he said.
“Deceptive agents are unable to send workers, while legitimate agents can,” he said. “Certain employment agents exploit young people without concern for their well-being, and such agents are present in Muse.”
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Meanwhile, since Wednesday male migrant workers under 35 and female workers under 27 who have received job acceptance letters from China must first obtain approval from local ward or village authorities confirming that they have not been listed for military service, according to a worker in Muse.
Only then can they receive a temporary border pass card, he said.
The new requirement comes a year after Myanmar’s military junta announced it would begin enforcing a conscription law that targeted men aged 18 to 35 to make up for heavy losses in the country’s ongoing civil conflict. Young people have been looking for ways to leave the country ever since.
Furthermore, a local resident in Muse said that Myanmar authorities are now allowing just 100 people per day to pass into China.
“There is a limit, but I haven’t seen any official documents,” he said.
The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar hasn’t responded to RFA’s request for comment on the new border requirements.
RFA also attempted to contact Khun Thein Maung, the junta’s spokesperson for Shan state, to ask about the stranded workers, but he didn’t immediately respond.
Translated by Aung Naing and Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Matt Reed.