Fishermen and fishing boat owners in a village in Paung Township of Mon State have called on the Mon State Election Sub-Commission to extend provide advance votes most of them will be busy fishing and unable to exercise their democratic rights on election day.

 

The fishermen would like to cast their ballots on November 8th, but Ma Mi Cho, a wife of a fisherman explained “Fishing at sea takes about 15 days. Only the elderly are allowed to cast advance votes. Youth cannot cast their advance votes. Fishermen will have to go fishing based on the orders of the ship-owners.” 

The date allows for advance voting and the Election Day collides with when they will be away fishing.

 

That is why they are demanding the UEC to allow advance voting as a special exception. Around 1,000 fishermen may lose their voting rights.

 

U Tun Min Aung, Mon State Minister for Immigration said: “As a sitting lawmaker of Mon State, it is my constituency. Fishermen find it difficult to cast their advance votes. Fishing is dependent on the tide.”

According to the statement by the UEC, the voters who will travel outside the constituencies can give their advance votes two days before the election Thet Naing Oo from Thaton District Election Sub-Commission in Mon State said: “The sub-commission has allowed them to give advance votes on the designated day. The sub-commission is unable to provide other dates. It is in accordance with the designated bylaws.”

The fishing community argues the election law should be applied with more flexibility to take their democratic rights into account. Fishermen account for over 2,000 of 120,000 total number eligible voters in Paung Township of Mon State.