Win Myint, a Burmese who lives in Mae Sot, Thailand, says that Burmese migrants do not find it easy to speak up when they have problems or their rights are violated.

"Burmese people don't want to have problems, so they remain quiet and end up being more oppressed," says Win Myint, who has lived for about 20 years in Thailand and has published two Thai-Burmese phrase books for migrants working along the border.

"It is their tradition that Burmese are afraid to go to the police. If they go to a police station (in Thailand), the language (barrier) will be difficult," Win Myint says, adding that they fear being deported or becoming victims of extortion.

Pranom Somwong of the Chiang Mai-based Migrants Assistants Programme says that the plight and perceptions of Burmese migrants in Thailand are not helped by a lot of bad history between the two countries and insensitive media reports that fan the flames of misunderstanding and prejudice.

"I think English newspapers have more information about the problems of migrant workers," said Pranom. "But the problem is in the Thai-language media," which lacks information and understanding of Burmese migrant labour in Thailand.

Still, she acknowledges that Thai reporting is now "more positive and better than before" because also of non-government groups' efforts to dialogue with the media.

Win Myint also notes that Thai textbooks still focus on Burmese invasions of more than 100 years ago. He says that many younger Thais would like to have good relations with neighbouring countries, but century-old nationalistic attitudes remain popular in some circles.

"When we talk about patriotism in Burma, we talk only of the invading British and the Japanese," he says. "But in Thai textbooks, they only talk of Burma invading Thailand in the past."

But undocumented migration relates in the end to what the Burmese government does. Win Myint says that if the the government were to take a stand with the Thai government over the exploitation of Burmese migrants, the situation could quickly improve.

But the Burmese government is the main reason for there being millions of Burmese migrants outside the country in the first place. Social, economic and political turmoil forces more and more Burmese across the Thai and Chinese borders.

Burmese workers in both China and Thailand say they left for economic reasons, but all say they would return home if and when the economic situation improved in Burma.

"Working here is risky and frightening. If things were going well in Burma, I would work there," says Nilar. "(But) What can I do? I have to work in danger," she says.

Htun Shwe is feeling older. Life in Ruili is stable, but thinking of himself as a foreign worker makes him uncomfortable. "Actually, our native town is the best," he says. "I don't want to be here, but it is the only option," he says.

Like many others, they cannot yet imagine their future lives, but "one day" hope that they can return to their Burmese homes. (END/Copyright IPS)