WITNESS: Overnight in Myanmar's ghost town capital

Louis Charbonneau, U.N. correspondent for Reuters, joined the company in Vienna in 2001, where he was a beat reporter covering the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency. He has traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East during his nearly two-decade career as a journalist.

In the following story Lou writes about his experience travelling with a U.N. delegation to Naypyidaw, the new capital of Myanmar.

By Louis Charbonneau

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - A green and yellow sign greeted us in English and Burmese with the words: "Welcome to Naypyitaw." Someone in our bus quipped that it should have read: "Welcome to the Dictators' Disneyland."

Myanmar's remote new capital, Naypyidaw, looks more like a seaside resort-in-progress than a city. But it is too far from the sea to make it a proper resort.

In fact, Naypyidaw is a virtual fortress where the reclusive military rulers of the former Burma have isolated themselves, some 320 km (200 miles) away from the mass demonstrations that occasionally erupt in the country's largest city, Yangon.

I was one of a small group of journalists who had the rare privilege of spending the night in Naypyidaw, where foreigners are banned unless they are invited there on official business.

As members of a U.N. delegation traveling with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon we got special treatment -- we could use satellite telephones, which are illegal in Myanmar, to contact the outside world.

We also had access to the Internet to file stories and send emails about Ban's second trip to the new capital, established in 2005.

During his two-day visit, Ban tried unsuccessfully to persuade Senior General Than Shwe, the junta leader, to let him meet Myanmar's main opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is currently trial for breaching the terms of her house arrest.

One of the first things I noticed about Naypyidaw was the lack of people and cars, which gave the city the eerie atmosphere of a ghost town.

As we sped along the pristine but empty highway toward our hotel, the only people we saw were military police, security officials, and a few labourers working in the fields or on construction sites.

The preferred architecture for ministry buildings and government mansions is white and beige stone with colored roofs surrounded by carefully manicured lawns, palm trees, shrubbery and stone walls.

Some of the buildings have cheerful-looking signs identifying which ministries they belong to.

One of the officials in the delegation told us privately that there have been some recent additions to Naypyidaw -- it now has a shopping mall and its own zoo, complete with penguins and lions to keep the rulers and people forced to relocate there entertained.

There is also a golf course, since the generals and many of their official guests enjoy taking in an occasional round of golf.