Irregular Migration in Southeast Asia

This book investigates the complex factors that drive migration, barriers to regular channel migration and regularization, and difficulties in accessing healthcare services in Southeast Asia. Taking Myanmar's irregular migrant workers in Thailand as a case study, it seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the complex factors that drive migration in Southeast Asia by exploring economic, political, and social push factors. It then moves to examine the multifaceted barriers that hinder regular channel migration to Thailand, including financial hardship, lengthy procedures, multifaceted difficulties in obtaining passport and paperwork, the influence of social networks and informal brokers, government official corruption, and exploitation by agencies targeting prospective migrant workers. It sets itself above the existing literature by adopting a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach, combining rigorous research, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and firsthand accounts of both migrant workers themselves and numerous other stakeholders throughout the process. This socio-ecological perspective allows for a nuanced understanding of the challenges faced by migrant workers to be developed, and to inform practical recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and advocates. As such, it offers a vital resource for researchers, policymakers, NGO workers, and advocates striving to create a more equitable society, and with interests in migration, Southeast Asia, healthcare, and social policy.

Tual Sawn Khai is RGC Postdoctoral Fellow at Lingnan University, Hong Kong, where he earned his PhD in Sociology and Social Policy. Currently, he is also a visiting fellow at the Australian National University and a research affiliate of the Refugee Law Initiative at the University of London. He was a visiting research fellow at the University of Melbourne and a visiting PhD fellow at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) in Malaysia. His research focuses on the health and well-being of migrants, refugees, IDPs, conflict, humanitarian aid, statelessness, and climate change. His work appears in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Migration and Health, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Archives of Public Health, Frontiers in Public Health, International Journal of Social Welfare, Disability and Society, Journal of Burmese Studies, and Global Public Health. He is the co-author of "Japan's Humanitarian Aid toward Myanmar after the 2021 Coup" SpringerBriefs in International Relations (SBIR).

Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Myanmar's Labor Migration Management: Policies, Practices, and Disruptions (1999-2025) Chapter 3: Thailand's Migrant Worker Health Insurance Schemes and Regularization Strategies of Irregular migrant workers (1992-2025) Chapter 4: Reconceptualizing Migration Theory: The Interplay of irregular migration and Regularization Chapter 5: Theoretical and methodological approach Chapter 6: Factors influencing migration and decision marking Chapter 7: Socio-Ecological Factors Influencing Irregular Migration from Myanmar to Thailand Chapter 8: Why Regular Migrants Become Irregular: A Socio-Ecological Analysis of Myanmar Workers in Thailand Chapter 9: Socio-ecological barriers to registration for regular status among irregular migrant workers from Myanmar in Thailand Chapter 10: Socio-ecological Barriers to Healthcare Access for Myanmar Irregular Migrant Workers in Thailand Chapter 11: Conclusion