Aye Mi Aung – As Burma’s first census in decades ends tomorrow, some households in Mon and Karen states are feeling left out. There are complaints of poor information as to when collections were to take place, said Nai Layie Tamarh, member of the census collection observing group. Homes that were reached didn’t always get a sticker to show collections had taken place. Others, with family working abroad, were reportedly ignored.
The census team “only collected info of those who are listed on the household document” said Nai Layie Tamarh. But according to the census’s own guidelines all members of the household should be included, even if they are abroad.
“I myself witnessed that a family in Kamarwet village that has seven members in the family, but two out of seven are in Thailand. Because of that household’s two members are in Thailand, it was left without being conducted for the census,” said Nai Aue Mon, also a member of the census collection observing group and coordinator of Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM).
In Karen State’s Three Pagodas Pass some households were also ignored because their family members were absent, Nai Aue Mon said.
There were census collectors that could only speak Burmese and not Mon creating communication problems in some cases, Nai Layie Tamarh said.
“We asked the households counted for census, what kind of information they had to provide. We also asked the households that were left without being surveyed as well as the households that were away when collections took place.”
The collection observing group was started by the Mon National Party based in Thanbyuzayat Township with fifteen members on March 25.
