Abstract:
To study the securitization of Burmese migration to Thailand and the threats it poses to the security of the Thai state. The research finds that the Thai nationalist ideology as well as the Thai states suspicion and mistrust towards Burmese migrants are significant factors contributing to the securitization of the Burmese migration, as reflected in claims that Burmese migrants have negative impacts on the states socio-economic, political, cultural security, as well as on its international relations. These claims have led to the success of the securitization, due to the acceptance and consent from the audience or message recipients and the formulation of policy to tackle the issue of Burmese migrants as the states security problem, whether it is the policy allowing or relaxing the employment of migrant workers, the policy preventing and cracking down on them, and the policy seeking to control their conduct. Factors contributing to the success of the securitization process consists of internal factors, i.e. the effectiveness of the use of language through a set of discourses that seek to demonstrate that Burmese migrant workers pose threats to the security of the Thai state in a number of ways, and external factors, i.e. the status of those involved in the policy-making process and Thai media who are important actors in the securitization of the Burmese migration. Another finding from the research is that Burmese migrants do not show a tendency to pose security threats to the Thai state based on the consideration of four indicators laid down by Myron Weiner, which comprise 1) employment rate; 2) economic development; 3) cultural differences; and 4) the supply of domestic labor.