Border Capitalism, Disrupted Border Capitalism, Disrupted Precarity and Strug gle in a Southeast Asian Industrial Zone Stephen Campbell ILR Press An imprint of Cornell University Press Ithaca and London Copyright © 2018 by Cornell University All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. First published 2018 by Cornell University Press Printed in the United States of Amer i ca Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Campbell, Stephen (Anthropologist), author. Title: Border capitalism, disrupted : precarity and strug gle in a Southeast Asian industrial zone / Stephen Campbell. Description: Ithaca : ILR Press, an imprint of Cornell University Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017025811 (print) | LCCN 2017027193 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501711121 (epub/mobi) | ISBN 9781501711114 (pdf) | ISBN 9781501711107 (cloth : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Precarious employment— Thailand— Mae Sot. | Foreign workers, Burmese— Thailand— Mae Sot. | Borderlands— Economic aspects— Thailand— Mae Sot. | Borderlands— Economic aspects— Burma. | Capitalism— Social Aspects— Thailand— Mae Sot. | Economic anthropology— Thailand— Mae Sot. Classification: LCC02 HD5858.T5 (ebook) | LCC HD5858.T5 C36 2018 (print) | DDC 331.5/4409593— dc23 LC rec ord available at https:// lccn.loc . gov / 2017025811 Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent pos si ble in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-b ased, low- VOC inks and acid- free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine- free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at cornellpress. c ornell. e du. Cover design: Richanna Patrick Cover illustration: Jacket photograph: The office of a private migrant registration agency in Mae Sot, Thailand, May 27, 2012. Photo by Stephen Campbell. Contents Acknowl edgments vii Abbreviations ix Map xi Introduction 1 1. Producing the Border 20 2. Cap i tal ist Recuperation 33 3. Mobility Strug gles 60 4. Coercive Policing 82 5. Class Recomposition 109 6. Organ izing under Flexibilization 127 vi Contents Conclusion 159 Postscript 165 Notes 169 Bibliography 187 Index 199 Acknowle dgments So here is where I attempt to list— incompletely, of course— the debts of gratitude I have incurred while writing this book. To begin with, I owe my deepest gratitude to all of the Myanmar mi- grants in Mae Sot, Thailand, who helped me along and shared their experi- ences with me— I only wish I could do more in return. I especially want to thank U Moe Swe and every one at the Yaung Chi Oo Workers Association who have done so much to support mi grant workers’ strug gles in Mae Sot and who welcomed my involvement in their organ ization and encouraged me in my research. Likewise, U Moe Kyo of the Joint Action Committee for Burmese Affairs could not have been more supportive. At the University of Toronto, I am indebted to Chris Krupa, Tania Li, and Andrea Muehlebach for pushing my research and analy sis in more sen- sible directions. Tania Li, in part ic u lar, has over many years been exceed- ingly generous with her time and encouragement (and with her office space). At Trent University, Winnie Lem has also offered much in the way viii Acknowledgments of support, and I have benefited greatly from my participation on confer- ence panels she has or ga nized. For comments on earlier drafts of this book, I am grateful to Joshua Barker, Josiah Heyman, Chris Krupa, Tania Li, Winnie Lem, Ken McLean, Andrea Muehlebach, and another reviewer who has remained anonymous. There are many o thers who have over the years offered stimulating conver- sation, productive debate, and critical insight on the issues addressed in this book. In this re spect, I would especially like to thank Dennis Arnold, Soe Lin Aung, Adam Saltsman, and Matt Schissler. My debt to Dennis Arnold, in par tic u lar, w ill be evident from the many references to his work included throughout this book. The writing of this book would not have been pos si ble without the gen- erous financial support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, which provided me with a postdoctoral fellowship that I held at Trent University from 2015 to 2017. I am thankful, as well, to the editors of American Ethnologist for permission to include herein (as chapter 5), an edited version of my 2016 article, “Everyday Recomposition: Precarity and Socialization in Thailand’s Mi grant Workforce.” Some material from chapter 3 was previously included in an op-ed piece I wrote for Mizzima News (“Prisoners of Mae Sot,” May 23, 2013), and part of the case study from chapter 6 was likewise included in a short piece I wrote for New Mandala (“Anatomy of a Burmese Mi grant Strike,” May 11, 2012), which was later republished in Mizzima News. Fi nally, to my parents, thanks— for every thing, obviously. And to Ingyin Khaing, Oakar Maung Maung, and Parami—my immeas ur able love and appreciation for all of your patience, care, and support. Abbreviations ABSDF All Burma Students’ Demo cratic Front ADB Asian Development Bank ADRA Adventist Development and Relief Association CBO community- based organ ization CPT Communist Party of Thailand EPZ export pro cessing zone FTI Federation of Thai Industries IOM International Organ ization for Migration IRC International Rescue Committee JACBA Joint Action Committee for Burmese Affairs KNLA Karen National Liberation Army KNU Karen National Union LPA L abor Protection Act (1998) LPO Labor Protection Office LRA L abor Relations Act (1975) MoU Memorandum of Understanding