The Military Council’s Consulate 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 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, the Bangkok 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 source confirmed these more lenient procedures at the Bangkok embassy.
The Military Council’s Consulate in Chiang Mai will only accept applications from Myanmar citizens who have long-term residence permits in Thailand. For notary services, applicants must submit original translated documents and colored copies of all other documentation. The consulate 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, according to the announcement from the Military Council’s Consulate in Chiang Mai.
A CDM officer residing in Bangkok analyzed that these restrictions by the military council specifically target CDM staff and political activists who have fled to Thailand, making their situations more difficult. He emphasized that it would be virtually impossible for CDM staff and political activists to obtain recommendations from wards and police stations in Myanmar, indicating that these requirements are deliberately designed to create obstacles. The new requirements appear to be a calculated move to pressure those who have opposed the military council and sought refuge in Thailand.
