Aung Khant Thu

Aung Khant Thu is a PhD candidate at the Chair of Development Politics at the University of Passau, supervised by Prof. Dr. Wolfram Schaffar. He grew up in Mae Sot on the Thailand–Myanmar border, and his research focuses on migration, human trafficking, structural violence, and youth in the borderland. He holds a B.A. in Social Sciences from Chiang Mai University and an M.A. in Development Studies from the University of Passau (2026). His master’s thesis examined how post-coup political and institutional conditions shape young people’s pathways into Myanmar’s scam-compound economy. Alongside his academic research, he has worked for many years with Myanmar migrant communities in protection, education, advocacy, and youth programs.

Contact Details

Email: thu01@ads.uni-passau.de

Research Focus Areas

1. War economies and armed governance in the Thailand–Myanmar borderland
2. Migration, human trafficking, and forced labor in Southeast Asia
3. Youth, structural violence, and constrained agency in post-coup Myanmar