27 January 2012—Bang Niang, Phang Nga Province—

The Foundation for Education and Development (FED) based in southern Thailand, today held a rally for Burmese migrant workers to update them on the upcoming elections in Burma (Myanmar), urging them to vote for the National League for Democracy (NLD)--Aung San Suu Kyi’s party--in the upcoming by-election on 1 April.

Mr. Moe Wai, FED Migrant Issues Coordinator, said that, “In the upcoming by-election, it is important to tell our relatives in Burma to vote for Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD Party, even if we who live in Thailand cannot go to the polls.”

Mr. Htoo Naing Lin, a student in FED’s Youth Outreach Program, said, “If we vote for the NLD, we will have a chance to see peace and we may be able to work in our country peacefully without hardship as people do in Thailand.”

Mr. Kyaw Swan, who works as a brick layer said, “We are so glad for FED sharing such information. I will tell my relatives in Myanmar to vote for NLD even if I cannot vote.” He added that, “… if all Burmese migrant workers had a chance to vote, that would be good for all of us.”

More than thirty people attended the rally and enthusiastically discussed the upcoming vote.

FED also held a meeting for prospective Burmese voters at the Htonkamin rubber plantation on 24 January, and FED plans to hold similar meetings in Koh Phuket, Muang Phang Nga, Surathani, and Krabi, all of which have numerous Burmese residents.