Saturday marks four years since Myanmar’s generals seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, tipping the country into civil war and crippling the economy of what was already one of Asia’s poorest nations.
Millions have fled their homes, as refugees from violence or as economic migrants seeking work, often joining the bottom rung of the labour ladder in neighbouring countries.
But Myanmar migrants in the kingdom have told This Week in Asia that they live in legal purgatory – unable to go home, or set down roots in Thailand.
Young migrants often undertake perilous and expensive journeys through illegal channels, experts say, bribing officials and paying brokers to crowd into trucks, all in search of work, shelter, and a chance to rebuild their lives.
