Plans are underway to move polling stations in Rakhine State to safer places to ensure that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have their voting right in the coming general election in November. 

Village-wise population data are being gathered to set up polling booths and the list will be submitted to the Union Election Commission. 

“We can make lists of some IDPs if they are in town areas. But we will have difficulty if they move to other places. So we have planned for them to apply with Form 15. No one has applied yet. Polling stations are to be established in the villages. But the villagers have fled. There is no administrative body or election sub-commission. Therefore, we are planning to report to the Union Election Commission about moving polling booths. We are collecting lists,” said Thurein Htut, secretary of Rakhine State Election Sub-commission. 

Rakhine State has over 1.64 million eligible voters but the number of IDPs is over 226,000, according to a statement released by REC. 

Some IDPs said there are no voter list announcements at their camps adding that the problems they are facing are more important than ensuring their voting right. 

“Rather than ensuring our voting right, we are more interested in solving our ongoing problems. We have not found any voter list announcement at our IDP camps. Most have no interest in where they have to go to vote. Life is hard for IDPs,” said one IDP at Kyauktaw Camp, Thein Soe. 

There is no fighting in Sittway Township but it has tens of thousands of IDPs.