Myanmar poll branded a sham

Migrants in Thailand reject junta’s election, writes Poramet Tangsathaporn

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Four years after Myanmar's 2021 military coup, the junta’s long-promised general election has arrived not as a democratic renewal but as a source of anger, fear and rejection among many citizens, including those living abroad.

For Myanmar migrants, students and journalists in Thailand, the vote is seen not merely as flawed but as a carefully managed performance designed to legitimise continued military rule.

Announced by the State Administration Council (SAC), also known as the ‘Tatmadaw, the election was scheduled in three phases — Dec 28, Jan 11 and Jan 25.

In early December, Myanmar’s embassy in Bangkok opened advance voting for nationals in Thailand. Yet many chose not to enter the embassy gates at all. Their refusal was not apathy, but protest.

CONTROLLED CONTEST

A 33-year-old Myanmar medical doctor, who asked not to be named and has lived in Thailand for three years, described the election bluntly as “a sham election”; arguing it was even worse than the widely criticised 2010 polls held under military oversight.

“There are only a handful of parties allowed to participate, and all of them are aligned with the military,” he said. “Even among these parties, the outcomes have already been determined.”

He added that voters in military-controlled areas face coercion and threats.

“The election is not free when people are told that if they vote the wrong way, their safety is not guaranteed,” he said.