AFP presents a reportage of 27 pictures by photographer Lillian Suwanrumpha taken between July 1 and August 5, 2026 of Karen refugees from the Mae La refugee camp along the Thai-Myanmar border as they register for Thai ID cards issued to foreigners granting them permission to work in Thailand. After decades of being barred from leaving the camps and working legally, Myanmar refugees and their children began receiving non-citizen Thai ID cards in June, a step away from statelessness and towards gainful, legal employment. About 4,600 people from Myanmar living in camps have sought permission to work legally from October 2025 to July this year, the Thai interior ministry said. Search for all these reportage images using: THAILAND-MYANMAR-LABOUR-REFUGEE Search 'REPORTAGE' to source all feature, magazine, and visual stories. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP via Getty Images) / TO GO WITH Thailand-Myanmar-labour-refugee, FOCUS by Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI and Sally JENSEN