Vulnerabilities of Burmese migrants, refugees and stateless people in Mae Sot after the 2021 military coup

Abstract

After the military coup on 1 February 2021, in Myanmar, the military junta inhumanely treated people around the country by means of arbitrary arrest, extra-judicial killing, burning homes, series of torture, confiscating property, sexual violence, denial of humanitarian assistance, incommunicado detention, and mass killing. Although Myanmar ratified the four Geneva Conventions, in which Article 3 prohibits violence to life and person, cruel treatment, and torture as war crimes, the military junta never follows international law. As the people were forcibly displaced due to the threat to their lives and security, they fled to neighbouring Thailand, which is south of Myanmar. Southern tribes as well as those of Burmese ethnicity went to the Myanmar-Thai border, especially to Mae Sot. Due to their illegal status, they lose their fundamental human rights, especially health care, education, access to job opportunities, taking part in religious activities, and cultural rights. Moreover, they are at risk of being arrested by the Thai police and sent back to Myanmar by Thai immigration. This research paper focuses on how Burmese migrants, refugees, and stateless persons overcome their insecure lives for development, inclusiveness, and integrity in Mae Sot alongside their illegal status. This paper explores the desk studies of literature review, analyses international law, and uses a qualitative research method by looking at the vulnerable living status of targeted people. The paper will highlight the needs of international obligations for the sustainable development of vulnerable Burmese displaced people in Mae Sot pursuant to international human rights law.