The Military Council’s Consulate Office in Chiang Mai announced on March 18 that Myanmar citizens residing in Thailand must submit recommendations from their ward administrators and police stations in Myanmar to obtain embassy endorsements for visa and stay permit extensions. For those living in Chiang Mai, obtaining an embassy endorsement will require copies of recommendations from their ward and police station in Myanmar, along with the original TM 30 form showing their current address in Thailand.
The Chiang Mai Consulate Office has declared that they will only process endorsements for tourist visas and visa extensions, discontinuing other types of endorsements. However, according to a source close to the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, their office continues to provide endorsements for bank account openings and driver’s license applications. The Bangkok office also accepts black and white copies of documents and does not require ward and police station recommendations for extensions. The Chiang Mai Military Council Consulate Office will only accept applications from Myanmar citizens who have long-term residence permits in Thailand for notary and various embassy endorsements. For notary services, applicants must submit original translated documents and colored copies of all other documentation.
The Consulate Office has set a processing time of three days for regular embassy endorsements and up to 14 days for notary signatures. These new regulations will be implemented starting March 19. The office has specified that they will only process applications from Myanmar citizens who have obtained long-term residence permits in Thailand, requiring original translation documents for notary services and colored copies for all other documentation.
A CDM officer residing in Bangkok has analyzed that these strict regulations are specifically targeted to oppress CDM staff and political activists who have fled to Thailand. He emphasized that it would be virtually impossible for CDM staff and political activists to obtain recommendations from ward administrators and police stations in Myanmar, indicating that these requirements are deliberately implemented with specific intentions to create difficulties for these groups. The new requirements are seen as a calculated move by the military council to further restrict and control Myanmar citizens living abroad, particularly those who have opposed their rule.
