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Myanmar coup-fuelled poverty pushes thousands to Thailand

In this file handout photo from the Royal Thai Army released on Oct 25, 2021, a Thai military personnel in protective gear checks the temperature of Myanmar migrants apprehended by Thai military personnel in Kanchanaburi province. (AFP)

Trekking through dense jungle and mountainous terrain at night to avoid arrest, one couple from Myanmar endured a gruelling journey to Thailand — grasping for an economic lifeline as jobs dry up in their coup-hit home.

Myo Chit and his wife are among thousands of migrants who have made the crossing in recent months, spurred by the twin crises of a pandemic-hit economy and turmoil triggered by the junta’s ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government.

Their two-day journey from Myanmar’s coastal Tanintharyi Region took them through corn farms, rubber plantations and…

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