Name: Daw Cho
Age: 53
From: Dawei, Myanmar
Currently working in Lam Kaen, Phang Nga, Thailand

For 14 years, Daw Cho has lived and worked in the seafood processing industry in Lam Kaen sub-district, Phang Nga province. Originally a rice farmer in Myanmar, Daw Cho faced significant challenges there that made it impossible to sustain a livelihood. She participated in a government program that provided seeds and fertilizers to poor families but required them to sell 30 percent of their rice yield back at a deflated price. This arrangement trapped her for 20 years.

Her situation was further exacerbated by annual floods that damaged large portions of her land, reducing her yield. Over her last four years in Myanmar, these floods intensified, likely due to climate change. Without the government’s support, Daw Cho saw no other option but to leave.

Recognizing the worsening conditions, she sent two of her adult children across the border to work in Thailand. It took three years to pay off the debt incurred from their migration, and once they were settled, she also decided to make the move.

Daw Cho paid a broker $150 (5,500 Thai Baht) to smuggle her in the hull of a boat to Ranong province at night. Upon arrival, she was instructed to wear a Muslim burqa to conceal her identity, revealing only her eyes, and travelled by public bus to her destination.

Daw Cho struggled to find work and went ten months without employment. Eventually, she secured a job at a fish processing factory, where she was tasked with removing meat from fish. Without proper documents, she was able to make only $68 (2,500 Thai Baht) per month, working from 8 a.m. until the work was done, which could be anywhere from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., with no overtime pay and one day off per week.

For five years, she lived off this pay rate. However, she joined hands with other workers to demand higher wages. Their efforts succeeded, and the factory owner increased their salaries to $136 (5,000 Thai Baht) per month. After 13 years, Daw Cho now earns $165 (6,100 Thai Baht) per month.

Despite the difficult working conditions, Daw Cho says life in Thailand is still better than in Myanmar. She is with her family and has health insurance through her work permit.

However, she faces significant challenges, particularly the high cost of renewing her documents annually to maintain her legal status. These renewals must go through an agent, who charges more than double the government-stated fee. The official cost should be around $190 (7,000 Thai Baht), but agencies sometimes charge as much as $542 (20,000 Thai Baht) for the service, which amounts to several months' salary.

Photographer: Luke Duggleby