Overseas voting for Thai election may be cancelled in Sudan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering cancelling overseas voting in Sudan due to the ongoing armed conflict in the country in northeastern Africa, ministry spokesperson Kanchana Patarachoke told reporters on Friday.
“Organising voting in conflict areas is difficult. Furthermore, Thailand does not have an embassy in Sudan,” she said, explaining that the Royal Thai Embassy in Cairo supervises foreign affairs pertaining to Sudan.
The ministry had planned to set up polling stations in Sudan and deliver ballots by mail, she said.
With Sudan’s postal system suspended due to armed conflict, the ministry is considering cancelling overseas voting there, she added.
Fighting broke out in Sudan's capital Khartoum and in other areas across the country last Saturday as rival military factions – the Sudan Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces – battled for control, increasing the risk of a nationwide civil war.
The death toll has surpassed 300, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday, adding that more than 3,000 people were injured in the unrest.
Most were civilians caught in the crossfire, the WHO said.
There are about 300 Thai nationals in Sudan, according to the Foreign Ministry.
About 200 of them are Muslim Thais studying at the International University of Africa in Khartoum. The others are Thai nationals who work in or have relatives in Sudan.
The ministry on Thursday called for a meeting with relevant agencies to discuss plans to evacuate Thais from Sudan.
