Myanmar Voters Living in Singapore Head to Embassy to Vote, Many Turned Away for Not Knowing Registration Requirement

(Singapore, 14th) Myanmar voters living in Singapore headed to the Myanmar Embassy in Singapore on Saturday to cast their votes; however, many were turned away at the door after being unaware of the overseas voting registration process, making the trip in vain.
The advance overseas voting for Myanmar citizens started in batches, and the overseas polling station at the Myanmar Embassy in Singapore saw around 20 voters show up in its first hour of opening on Saturday (December 13).
The embassy did not deploy extra security personnel, and instead placed a small table at the entrance where four or five staff members checked the voter list.
Several voters who arrived at the embassy early expressed their grievances to journalists, saying that insufficient prior publicity by officials made them miss the chance to register as overseas voters, resulting in their inability to vote. A Myanmar domestic helper, who came with two friends to vote and spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The embassy said we need a registration letter and have to download it from a website, but we didn’t know which website it is.”

A 32-year-old male engineer from Shan State, Myanmar, also missed the registration date and was turned away at the door. During an interview, he said that 90% of his friends of the same age do not wish to vote, himself included, but he was concerned that not voting might cause trouble for him when renewing his passport in the future, affecting his job, so he still decided to come to the embassy. In the end, he still did not manage to cast his ballot.
Out of concern over potential targeting by officials, he also requested anonymity. He speculated that the military would likely continue to rule after the election. “I hope the authorities can govern the country better, and also hope foreign countries will apply pressure to prompt the government to improve domestic politics.”
Of the six Myanmar voters interviewed, only a 53-year-old male engineer from Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, managed to vote successfully. He has worked in Singapore for nearly 20 years. Interviewed anonymously, he said no matter who is in power, he hopes Myanmar’s situation will improve and become more democratic.

Reporters have written to the Myanmar Embassy in Singapore to inquire about the number of Myanmar voters in Singapore, but have not received a response. According to previous media reports, it is estimated that there are about 200,000 Myanmar citizens living in Singapore.

Myanmar’s general elections are set to be held in stages domestically starting December 28, while overseas voting started last Saturday (the 6th) in Thailand.
Western countries and human rights organizations have broadly criticized Myanmar’s elections as a “sham,” casting doubt on the fairness of the elections and accusing the military government of using this as a façade to maintain rule. The military government, while refuting such criticisms, has also escalated suppression and crackdowns on dissenters domestically.

On Wednesday (the 10th), the Myanmar military airstriked a hospital in Rakhine State, resulting in at least 34 deaths and dozens injured. The area hit is controlled by the Arakan Army, an ethnic minority armed group opposed to the military government. The United Nations has called for an investigation, stating that the attack could constitute a war crime.

However, the military government denies that the strike caused civilian deaths. Myanmar’s state-run newspaper, Global New Light of Myanmar, reported on Saturday that medical staff had already withdrawn from the hospital last year and that the Arakan Army had set up camp at the hospital site. “Those killed and injured were not civilians, but terrorists and their supporters.”

Since the military coup in 2021, violent conflict in Myanmar has escalated, leaving more than three million people displaced domestically, with many seeking livelihoods abroad.
A 23-year-old Myanmar waiter working at a restaurant in Peninsula Plaza said in an interview that this election is a “fake election,” and for that reason refused to vote. He did not expect the domestic situation to improve in the short term, and bluntly stated, “I don’t like the military government... All they do is kill people.”
However, for Khan Sandar Myint (41), who has been a domestic helper in Singapore for six years, her homeland continues to tug at her heartstrings despite the ongoing conflict. On Saturday, she wore traditional Burmese attire to the embassy to vote and told reporters with a smile, “I came to vote because I love my country.”