Thailand issues IDs to Myanmar refugees, opening legal work and hope

Thailand now issues non-citizen ID cards to Myanmar refugees, permitting legal work and movement, offering them job security and hope. About 4,600 of 80,000 camp refugees have applied to work legally since October. They earn around 3,000 baht weekly and send money home, after decades of confinement. The UN refugee agency hailed the policy as a landmark step. Thailand, which long barred refugees, began permitting work last year amid labor shortages and Myanmar’s civil war.