Team Member: Nang Lao Wann Si
Social media presents a tremendous opportunity for supporting Myanmar migrants in Thailand. Leaders of informal migrant support organisations have taken advantage of this platform and have successfully built large followings among migrants. To understand the dynamics of this engagement, this study employs netnography, a digital ethnographic approach, to analyse the interaction between Myanmar migrant leaders and their followers on social media.
The study focuses on the Facebook pages of these migrant support organisations, examining the posts, images, captions, and comments made by the administrators. The findings reveal that migrant leaders use charismatic signalling to attract a following and expand their support for migrants. They use verbal and non-verbal techniques to establish moral authority among Myanmar migrants.
The study illustrates how migrant leaders use metaphors, goal-setting, rhetorical questions, contrast drawing, and the demonstration of conviction and personal sacrifice to signal charisma and engage with migrant workers. It makes an important contribution to understanding charisma within Myanmar culture and how offline signalling methods are deployed within online settings.
Team Member: Nang Lao Wann Si
Supported by the grant from Partners Asia, this study based on qualitative research highlights the complexities and vulnerabilities of the lives of Myanmar migrants in Samut Sakhon. The research shows that these workers face numerous challenges, including discrimination, harassment, and exploitation by authorities. However, it also shows the resilience and resourcefulness of migrants as they navigate their daily lives and finds ways to connect with support systems and sources of information. The study underscores the importance of digital tools, such as mobile phones, in their lives, even as they can create new risks and vulnerabilities.
The research also sheds light on the role of telecommunications companies in the lives of migrants. Rather than just being seen as cheap labour, the study shows that these companies view migrants as an important market and a valuable source of revenue. This highlights the need for companies to be more sensitive to the needs and rights of migrants and to take a more responsible approach to their engagement with this vulnerable population.
Finally, the study highlights the valuable work of organizations like LPN, which provide support and training to migrants. These organizations play a crucial role in helping migrants to navigate the challenges of their daily lives and to access the resources and information they need to build better futures for themselves and their families. The findings of this research can help Partners Asia and other organizations to understand better the needs and challenges of Myanmar migrants in Samut Sakhon and to develop more effective programs and initiatives to support them.
Team Member: Nang Lao Wann Si
A CDS team led by Wann Si Nang Lao partnered with the ITU to conduct digital skills training for migrant girls in Thailand as part of the International Girls in ICT Day 2022. The theme of the Girls in ICT 2022 was “Access and Safety” in celebration of International Girls in ICT Day 2022. According to the ITU, “for girls and young women to thrive in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers, they need safe and reliable access to the internet and digital tools.” So, Wann Si and her team coordinated with migrant learning centres to deliver basic ICT skills and Internet safety for migrant girls to access and navigate the online world effectively and safely. The training was conducted in the Burmese language onsite and online. To ensure access to computers at the migrant learning centre, the team fundraised and accepted donations of discontinued computers to establish a computer lab at the centre.
