A ghost town votes in Myanmar election’s second phase

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

Hpapun was erstwhile a bustling municipality with its ain airport. Now it’s bare and Sunday’s predetermination determination is meaningless amid ongoing warring betwixt the service and rebel groups.

The municipality of Hpapun was erstwhile a bustling determination hub with banks, determination authorities offices, and stores that supplied the surrounding valleys.

It adjacent had its ain airport, which was peculiarly utile successful this distant country of eastbound Myanmar.

The ruling subject authorities accidental Hpapun volition beryllium portion of the 2nd signifier of voting erstwhile the wide predetermination resumes this Sunday, aft the archetypal signifier astatine the extremity of December.

The lone problem: Hpapun is really a shade town.

On the walls of the constabulary station, a motion asks helpfully, “Can We Help You?” successful English. But conscionable wrong the gate, a achromatic skull and crossbones connected a reddish inheritance warns of landmines planted inside.

When Al Jazeera visited Hpapun respective weeks ago, not a azygous psyche remained successful the town, and each the businesses and homes had been either burned, bombed oregon reclaimed by the jungle.

Some voting volition instrumentality spot wrong the Tactical Command station astir 10km (6 miles) down the road. But anyone wanting to formed their ballot volition person to get past landmines, booby traps and astir 800 authorities soldiers, who person been nether siege since 2024.

Tin Oo, commandant of the People’s Defence Force, a rebel radical trying to propulsion the authorities retired of the country [Tony Cheng/ Al Jazeera]

“The subject junta’s upcoming predetermination is simply a sham. It’s a staged, fake predetermination designed to support the powerfulness they person stolen,” says Tin Oo, commandant of the People’s Defence Force, 1 of the groups of fighters presently trying to wide authorities forces retired of the area.

And astatine slightest 3.5 cardinal voters crossed Myanmar won’t beryllium capable to ballot due to the fact that they’ve been forced from their homes by warring successful the civilian war.

Aye Thu Zar fled from her village, Pazun Myaung, 2 months agone aft it was deed by aerial strikes from authorities combatant jets. Now she and her lad Moe unrecorded successful a assemblage of 150 different displaced radical connected the banks of the Sittang river, surviving connected what she ekes retired of the land. There are nary alleviation agencies operating present offering handouts of structure oregon food.

“No, I’m not voting,” she told me, sitting successful the bamboo hut she present calls home. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard thing astir it. We unrecorded successful a distant area, truthful we don’t cognize astir the election.”

Overgrowth extracurricular an bureau of the National League for Democracy, of Nobel Peace Prize victor Aung San Suu Kyi, who is present nether location apprehension [Tony Cheng/ Al Jazeera]

Just 2 hours’ thrust distant successful Yangon, Myanmar’s astir populated city, information is airy and the civilian warfare feels acold away. Many of the country’s municipality areas voted successful the archetypal signifier of the predetermination connected December 28. After the 2nd signifier connected Sunday, a 3rd signifier volition instrumentality spot connected January 25 earlier last results are declared.

But with military-backed parties the lone enactment connected the ballot paper, galore voters simply didn’t amusement up successful cities similar Yangon, and portion authoritative figures are yet to beryllium released, section predetermination officials told Al Jazeera that the turnout could beryllium arsenic debased arsenic 35 percent.

None of these problems seems to beryllium troubling the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), however. They’ve already been named arsenic the casual winners successful the archetypal phase, with 89 retired of 102 little seats won, and it seems apt they volition look arsenic the winners erstwhile the result is announced astatine the extremity of the month.

That volition beryllium nary astonishment to the retired generals starring the enactment – nor to the remainder of Myanmar.