After Myanmar's military announced enforcement of a long-dormant conscription law in 2024, young people seeking a legal route abroad converged on the Thai embassy in Yangon. To manage the pressure, the embassy reduced daily visa applications from 400 to 200 and shifted queue numbers online.
Contemporary reporting documented people waiting from early morning and competing for limited application slots. This was not a line created by tourism demand. For a generation potentially subject to conscription, a visa appointment represented both lawful passage across a border and the possibility of choosing a different future.