The Military Council’s Consulate Office in Chiang Mai announced on March 18 that Myanmar citizens residing in Thailand must submit ward and police station recommendations from Myanmar to obtain embassy endorsements for visa and stay permit extensions. For those living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, applicants must submit copies of recommendations from their respective wards and police stations in Myanmar, along with the original TM 30 form showing their current address in Thailand, to receive embassy endorsements.
The Military Council’s Chiang Mai Consulate Office has declared that they will no longer issue endorsements other than those for tourist visas and visa extensions. However, according to a source close to the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, the embassy there continues to provide endorsements for bank account openings and driver’s license applications. They also accept black and white copies of documents, and visa extensions do not require ward and police station recommendations. The Chiang Mai Consulate Office will only accept applications from Myanmar citizens who have long-term residence permits in Thailand for notary and various embassy endorsements, requiring color copies of all documents in addition to original translated documents.
The Consulate Office has set a processing time of three days for regular embassy endorsements and up to 14 days for notary signatures. These restrictions will be implemented starting March 19, as announced by the Military Council-controlled Myanmar Consulate Office in Chiang Mai. The office has specified that for notary services and various embassy endorsements, only Myanmar citizens with long-term residence permits in Thailand are eligible to apply, and they must submit color copies of all documents along with original translation documents.
A CDM officer residing in Bangkok analyzed that these strict regulations are deliberately targeted to oppress CDM staff and political activists who have fled to Thailand. He particularly emphasized that it would be virtually impossible for CDM staff and political activists to obtain ward and police station recommendations from Myanmar, creating significant obstacles for their visa extensions and stay permit renewals. This new requirement appears to be a calculated move by the military council to make life more difficult for those who have opposed their rule and sought refuge in Thailand.
