Expat citizens may lose chance to vote
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MILLIONS of citizens living abroad may lose their chance to vote in the November 8 election if the September 20 deadline to register is not extended.
Migrants must register at embassies and consulates to vote.
Union Election Commission deputy director Aung Myo Thant said the commission had so far received applications from around 10,000 overseas voters through the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The previous deadline of August 23 was extended to September 20.
It was unofficially estimated that 4 million Myanmar nationals work overseas, including about 2 million in Thailand.
All political parties are fighting hard to win votes from voters of all races, after the campaigns were allowed to start on September 8.
In Kayah State, National League for Democracy (NLD) chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi highlighted unity in her election campaign. She said Myanmar had many ethnic groups and different cultures, religions and languages, making it important to build mutual trust to establish peace.
The Arakan National Party is urging Rakhine people to vote for Rakhine ethnic parliamentary candidates out of a sense of national duty.
It was reported that around 30,000 eligible voters in Kachin State are members, or whose relatives are members, of the military or the police force. This may give a competitive edge to the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, which was founded by military members.
Nevertheless, Commander-in-chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said in an interview with the Japan-based Asahi Shimbun newspaper that “every member of the army has their own right to decide who they want to vote for. We cannot order them to vote for one party. It is their personal right, so their votes will depend on their personal opinions”.
Some military officers will contest in the election. Some face strict scrutiny.
The NLD reportedly claimed three of them – Hla Htay Win, Wai Lwin |and Myint Hlaing – launched election campaigns before September 8.
“In Dekkhinathiri on September 4, director general Kyaw Win of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation distributed leaflets and campaign posters to boost support for his minister Myint Hlaing. Umbrellas and fans were given out,” said Min Thu, a member of the NLD.
Candidates are not allowed to give or take bribes during the election campaign period, Min Thu said.
Joint secretary Sai Leik of the Shan Nationalities Democracy Party (SNLD) says the party is worried for the fairness of the election and the national ceasefire agreement due to recent skirmishes between the military and the Shan State Army.
“There is good cause for doubt when the battles happen in areas where the SNLD is working on voter education. It poses a real danger for the right to freely campaign. We condemn these battles as we believe that ulterior motives lie beneath the clashes,” said Sai Leik.
Fighting took place on September 7 and 8 near Sarm Bu village, Mong Ping Township, with several casualties reported. It was reported that fighting began when the 20 troops from the 12th Light Infantry Battalion confronted SSA soldiers about drug-related issues.
Fighting also broke out again between the army and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Kachin State on September 8, following clashes in May and June.
