Anxiety and frustration are mounting among Myanmar refugees worldwide as the junta pushes ahead with what is being rejected across the country as a “sham election”, raising fears of an unprecedented wave of people fleeing the country.

“The common factor is fright,” said one refugee advocate based in Kuala Lumpur, Saw Mue Mue, describing a nation gripped by trauma and uncertainty as junta leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, moves to cement his rule through an election designed to make his presidency permanent.