Thialand

Voices of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand

It is estimated that 2.5 to 3 million Myanmar workers are toiling away in Thailand, at least half a million of whom are in Samut Sakhon alone, a province next to Bangkok. Yet only around 3,000 voters have registered for advance voting at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, Win Maung, Myanmar’s ambassador to Thailand, told Myanmar Now in a telephone interview. The low figures are a result of many factors – a lack of awareness and information about voter registration procedures, a lack of trust in government officials, busy work schedules and travel restrictions placed on migrant workers. Myanmar Now spoke to migrant workers who expressed their desire to vote but are either unable to do so or do not know how to. Kyaw Lwin Maung, 36, from Kayin state, works in a tyre factory in Mahachai “I’ve been here for over 2 years now. I have not checked the voter list to see whether my name is there. But I’m wondering whether I should go back or not. If my name is in the voter list, I’d like to go back. “But I cannot go back without permission from the workplace. Otherwise I would be sacked. “It doesn’t take…