In May 2024, Wae Win Khaing, a PhD candidate from Myanmar, participated in the 2024 Myanmar Emerging Scholars and Young Leaders Workshop at the University of British Columbia (UBC) from May 15 to 17, 2024. This workshop aimed to empower emerging leaders from Myanmar through sessions on theory-to-practice transformation, maximizing policy impact, and best practices for civil society organizations.
The workshop brought together around 25 participants from various backgrounds. Key features included an interactive communication workshop and a visit to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APFC). Participants presented their research and received feedback from experienced professionals. The event was funded by the International Development Research Centre’s (IDRC) Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) initiative.
Following the workshop, on May 22, 2024, Wae Win presented her research at the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria. She was joined by Dr. Sai Kyi Zin Soe, a research affiliate at the University of Sydney. Their joint presentation, titled “Living in Limbo: How Policy and Politics Shape the Lives of Myanmar Migrants in Thailand,” was moderated by Dr. Jessica Ball, Professor Emerita at the University of Victoria and Principal Director of Early Childhood Development Intercultural Partnerships.
The presentation examined the impact of political and policy environments on the lives of Myanmar migrants in Thailand. Through qualitative research and interviews, Wae Win Khaing and Dr. Sai Kyi Zin Soe highlighted challenges such as legal uncertainties, socio-economic barriers, and the effects of regional policies on migrant integration.
The event was initiated by Dr. Kenneth MacKay from Von Environmental Consulting and organized by the Centre for Global Studies and the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria, with support from the Canadian International Council, Victoria Branch. Attendees with connections to Myanmar explored opportunities to address issues related to Myanmar migrants and the broader context of Myanmar.
Through her presentation at the University of Victoria, she had the opportunity to share her research design and preliminary findings and receive feedback from multidisciplinary experts to support the lives of Myanmar migrants involved in dried fish value chains and fisheries in Thailand. Wae Win Khaing’s current doctoral ethnographic research titled “A quest for wellbeing: An ethnography of migration, gender, and social wellbeing of Myanmar migrants in dried fish value chains in Thailand” focuses on understanding the relationship between historical changes in Myanmar and Thailand and Myanmar migration since 1980 and how migration affects people’s involvement in dried fish value chains from a gender-oriented social wellbeing perspective.