Myanmar Emigration and Immigration


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Finding the Town of Origin in Myanmar (Burma)

If you are using emigration/immigration records to find the name of your ancestors' town in Myanmar (Burma), see Myanmar Finding Town of Origin for additional research strategies.

Myanmar (Burma) Emigration and Immigration

"Emigration" means moving out of a country. "Immigration" means moving into a country.
Emigration and immigration sources list the names of people leaving (emigrating) or arriving (immigrating) in the country. These sources may be passenger lists, permissions to emigrate, or records of passports issued. The information in these records may include the emigrants’ names, ages, occupations, destinations, and places of origin or birthplaces. Sometimes they also show family groups.

Historical Background of Myanmar (Burma)

  • In the 19th century, Burmese rulers, whose country had not previously been of particular interest to European traders sought to maintain their traditional influence. Pressing them, however, was the British East India Company, which was expanding its interests eastwards. Over the next sixty years, diplomacy, raids, treaties and compromises, known collectively as the Anglo-Burmese Wars, continued until Britain proclaimed control over most of Burma.
  • Throughout the colonial era, many Indians arrived as soldiers, civil servants, construction workers and traders and, along with the Anglo-Burmese community, dominated commercial and civil life in Burma.
  • East Indians were the most significant Asian minority in Myanmar until World War II, when hundreds of thousands fled the Japanese invasion.
  • Although many returned after the war, the Indian minority never regained its prewar proportions, because the government instituted rigid restrictions on Indian migration.
  • The Indian population was substantially reduced between April 1963 and June 1965, when 100,000 were repatriated to India as part of a program to increase the wealth and holdings of Myanmar nationals.
  • The government has sought to curtail both immigration and emigration, although as many as 500,000 persons may have left Myanmar during 1962–71.
  • About 187,000 Muslims who fled to Bangladesh in 1978 were repatriated with the help of UN agencies by the end of 1981. they had left Myanmar because of alleged atrocities by its soldiers in Arakan State.
  • In 1992, 250,000 Muslim refugees from Myanmar's Northern Rakhine state began arriving in Bangladesh claiming human rights abuses in Myanmar. Between 1994 and 1997, some 230,000 of these refugees returned home to Northern Rakhine state.
  • On 4 January 1948, the nation became an independent republic, under the terms of the Burma Independence Act 1947. The new country was named the Union of Burma. The country's official English name changed from the "Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma" to the "Union of Myanmar" on 18 June 1989 by enacting the adaptation of the expression law.[1]

Emigration From Myanmar (Burma)

  • There are over 600,000 registered migrant workers from Myanmar in Thailand, and millions more work illegally. Burmese citizens account for 80% of all migrant workers in Thailand.[1]
  • Burmese diaspora refers to citizens of Burma (Myanmar) who have moved abroad, regardless of ethnicity.
  • Between 1.5 and 2 million Burmese nationals live in neighboring Thailand, the largest destination for Burmese migrants.
  • Some half a million work in Malaysia. Many were minorities in Burma.
  • Significant numbers also reside in United Kingdom; Tokyo, Japan; followed by Singapore; Indonesia; Australia; India; Ireland and the United States.
  • Also included are many Anglo-Burmese, primarily in Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Canada and the US.[2]

Records of Burmese Emigrants in Their Destination Nations

Dark thin font green pin Version 4.png One option is to look for records about the ancestor in the country of destination, the country they immigrated into. See links to Wiki articles about immigration records for major destination countries below. Additional Wiki articles for other destinations can be found at Category:Emigration and Immigration Records.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Myanmar", in Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar, accessed 27 July 2021.
  2. "Burmese diaspora", in Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_diaspora, accessed 27 July 2021.