Name: May Nyein Khaw
Age: 24
From: Mawlamyine, Mon State, Myanmar
Currently working in Khuk Khak, Phang Nga, Thailand

When the military coup happened in Myanmar, May Nyein Khaw was still a student. As her student life was forced to an end, she applied for a trainee nurse position at a local hospital in Mawlamyine where her older sister was already working. The dangerous conditions and insufficient pay prompted May Nyein Khaw to seek a better future in Thailand, where her mother had lived for over 30 years before returning just before the coup.

In 2022, May Nyein Khaw, along with her mother and older sister, left Myanmar, seeing no opportunities there. They paid a broker to smuggle them across the border. The journey to the border took three days by local bus due to a curfew that prevented night-time travel. Each night, they stayed in simple hotels before continuing their journey the next morning.

Once at the border, May Nyein Khaw crossed with a 7-day entry permit, which allowed her family to stay within a 30 kilometres radius of the border. Determined to reach Khuk Khak, Phang Nga province where her older brother lived, they paid another broker to transport them, which cost $542 (20,000 Thai Baht) each.

Fortunately, after three days, May Nyein Khaw found work with legal documents at a local restaurant popular with foreign tourists. She earns $12 (450 Thai Baht) per day for shifts from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and works weekends. Her employer enrolled her in a government program to learn Thai and allowed May Nyein Khaw to take two and a half hours off on Sundays to attend classes.

May Nyein Khaw feels safer in Thailand and appreciates the opportunity to earn more money and improve her life. However, she hopes to return to Myanmar if peace is restored. Her primary concern is the $4 (150 Thai Baht) tax deduction on remittances and the potential consequences of not paying it.

Photographer: Luke Duggleby