Thailand — Flow Monitoring Findings: Profiles of Myanmar nationals crossing into Thailand (January - December 2023)

To gain a better understanding of the mobility dynamics and vulnerabilities of Myanmar nationals entering Thailand, IOM Thailand initiated flow monitoring activities at key points of entry (POEs) in Tak, Ranong, and Kanchanaburi border provinces in 2023 using IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) tools. Flow monitoring aims track the scale and characteristics of Myanmar nationals’ mobility along the Myanmar-Thailand border, including the volume of movements and intended destinations of migrants, their reasons for movement, intended lengths of stay, and expectations about work sectors and conditions. The tool provides critical insights into current mobility dynamics in the context of the socio-economic and security situation in Myanmar following the military takeover in February 2021. The following report extends findings from the mid-year flow monitoring report published in September 2023. It covers the entire year of 2023 in Tak and Ranong, and additionally includes analysis of Kanchanaburi province from September to December 2023. 

Flow Monitoring Counting (FMC) and Flow Monitoring Surveys (FMS) are conducted simultaneously at each point for one week every month. Tak, Kanchanaburi, and Ranong were chosen due to pre-existing information indicating that the three provinces experience a substantial volume of entries of Myanmar nationals.

From January to December 2023, IOM’s Migration Data and Research Unit (MDRU) interviewed a total of 4,693 incoming Myanmar nationals to Thailand, with 2,366 interviewed in Tak province (50%), 2,310 in Ranong province (49%), and 17 in Kanchanaburi province (1%).