Hong Kong's Thais Watch On As Nation Votes

They may be far away from their native land, but the people of Kowloon City's "Little Thailand" were closely following developments back home on Sunday, as millions of Thais voted in the first general election since a 2014 military coup.

Many of Hong Kong's 10,000 or so Thai residents live, work and do business in the streets of Kowloon City, with pictures of the revered late king Bhumibol Adulyadej displayed on the walls of shops and restaurants.

"We don't have a good government to do something good for Thailand. All the people are very poor," domestic worker Jongkon told RTHK.

"People don't want Prayut," she said, referring to Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the general who led the coup before becoming prime minister.

"I hope he goes today ... people hate Prayut, all the people don't like him now. He can do nothing."

Jongkon said she missed the chance to cast a ballot from Hong Kong when the Thai Consulate arranged early voting two weeks ago, because she was working.

But her friend, Veerarat, who owns a Thai grocery store, said she heard that about 1,700 Thais had turned up to vote in Hong Kong. She said she thinks it would have been a lot more if people didn't have to go to the consulate in Admiralty.

At a Thai crafts and accessories store on the next road, worker Thaksaphorn said she voted, because Thai people are especially concerned about the election this time.

"I'm very excited this time. It's very important for our people. Thailand needs good people for the nation. This prime minister now, Mr Prayut, I think he's the best now," she said.

But not everyone was as enthusiastic about the poll, with a young worker in the shop finding it all a bit too serious.

"Even if there's a new one [prime minister], I think it's same same. We don't talk about this, we talk about things that are happy, not things that are serious like this," he said.