was in Myanmar last week, also have a few straight Shan/Karen friends here in BKK. Yes, they make always a big point of their independent nation.
Info from Myanmar: a proper passpt cost was stated as 40/50 US$ for SLOW service=wait 1 month or so, pay more for speed (under the table).
What most Myanmar people confuse/or hardly know anything else; most go out for work, and this is done via local agencies. Price for that really depends on country (SING being most expensive) and waiting time, nomal is 1 year (apparently some system of ''permitted nrs'' per year). Cost for this is in the region of 400/500 US$ ''commission''.
Illegal in BKK staying/.working Burmese told me to get an ''under the table'' THAI passpt/or rather white ID first (nam baht prachachuen) will cost well over 1000 US=say 40/50.000 baht.
Rather unattainable for them. Most have sneeked illegally over the border at night, with the paid help of ''those in the know''.
A semi-legal card for Thai/hilltribe is either pink or red and allows travel/stay in ALL borderprone chaingwat of thailand, but not all along the border, restricted to north/mid/south.
Myanmar is quite different from Thailand, often reminded me at both Nepal and Indonesia!
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