CNI News

6 November 2024

If salary earners working abroad transferred 200,000 dollars and above to their families in Myanmar within one year, they would be permitted to import an EV car that was equal to 25 percent of the money transferred, which was impossible for migrant workers, those carrying out for the issues of workers told CNI News.

It was impossible for migrant workers to transfer 200,000 dollars within one year; the amount designated was too much, they pointed out.

Because EVs were allowed to be imported depending on the money transferred like that, some businessmen might approach to migrant workers, U Aung Kyaw from the Labor Right Foundation (LBR) told CNI News.

" Because some migrant workers are educated, they might be approached by businessmen to import EVs. But it won't be easy to link with basic workers, I think. It's not easy for ordinary workers in Thailand to save 50,000 dollars. But without mainly aiming at workers in Thailand, it might intend to workers in developed countries such as South Korea, Japan and Singapore. A Myanmar worker in Thailand earns 300 baht a day. But they have to spend on food, accommodation, water, electricity and so on. It's not really easy to save 50,000 dollars." he said.

Apart from salary earners, other income earners - if they could transfer 50,000 dollars and above to their families in Myanmar, they would be permitted to import an EV or EV motorcycle that was equal to 25 percent of the money transferred, released the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok.

While migrant workers were standing in line to carry out things necessary in the Myanmar Embassy to Thailand

Moreover, if a worker couldn't afford alone to import an EV car or motorcycle, EVs could be imported collectively by three or four workers, said in the statement. 

If the government really wanted the workers to import EVs, only after the survey of the Myanmar workers in foreign countries was conducted, should the amount of money transferred with one year be designated, Ko Khant Nay Kyi from the supporting center for migrants and migrant workers in Busan, South Korea, told CNI News.

" As the basic salary, a Myanmar worker in South Korea earns 2,000 dollars. He earns 25,000 dollars at most a year. It's not possible for them to save 200,000 dollars a year. The government has already known the incomes of Myanmar workers in foreign countries. So, it needs to reduce the amount transferred if it wants the workers to import EVs." he said.

At present, the matters regarding the money transferred to families have been tightened in the Myanmar embassies, some workers are transferring money through legal channels while others, through the Hundi system because there is a wide gap between the exchange rates.

Moreover, most workers are reportedly interested in the EV import permit because the amount of money that has to be transferred is too much.