At least four embassies in Bangkok have urged their citizens travelling in Thailand to exercise caution during the August referendum, warning that there might be a protest afterwards.
On Wednesday, 3 August 2016, the embassy of the UK, Myanmar, Japan, and the US warned their citizen staying in Thailand to be careful about the political situation regarding the August draft charter referendum, Matichon Online reported.
According to Matichon Online, the Japanese embassy announced that Japanese citizens in Thailand should be increasingly careful on the referendum date, 7 August. The embassy also added that there would be various ideas confronting each other in the referendum so the Japanese should avoid protest sites and crowded places during that time.
The UK embassy stated that the political climate of Thailand towards the referendum is getting intense so UK citizens should avoid possible political protests and closely follow the news from local media.
The Myanmarese embassy warned their citizens that Thai authorities might search for illegal migrant workers at work places and residents during the referendum so the Myanmarese should keep their identification documents close and cooperate with authorities’ searches.
The US embassy issued statement, says that US citizens should avoid possible protests during the referendum since the junta has full authority to arrest anybody. The embassy speculates that there might not be a violence circumstance, but their citizen should better be cautious and closely follow the situation since the possible protests can lead to massive outrages within a short period of time that could eventually cause violent confrontation.