Democratic hope: Myanmar nationals living in Thailand queuing up outside the Myanmar Embassy for early voting. — AFP
A few dozen early voters in Myanmar’s widely-criticised election have cast their ballots at the country’s embassy in Bangkok as polls opened for citizens abroad.
Myanmar’s junta snatched power in a 2021 coup which plunged the country into a many-sided civil war, but it promises that polls will move the country towards peace and democracy.
The phased election is slated to begin in certain parts of the country in late December, but early voting abroad has begun at a few Myanmar embassies, including in Hong Kong, Singapore, Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
There was a heavy police presence yesterday morning at the Bangkok embassy, where AFP journalists saw around 25 people signing up in the first two hours of polling.
Several voters declined to offer comment.
There are around half a million documented Myanmar nationals in the capital, according to Thailand’s labour ministry.
The International Organization for Migration estimates there are 4.1 million Myanmar nationals residing in Thailand, many of whom have fled the war and are undocumented.
Officials at the embassy told AFP they did not know how many people had filled the required voting registration form, which had an Oct 15 deadline.
Deposed lawmakers excluded from the vote, human rights monitors and rebel groups opposing the junta have dismissed the election as a charade to disguise continuing military rule.
The military government introduced broad new legislation ahead of the polls, including clauses punishing those protesting or criticising the election with up to a decade in prison. — AFP
