Census data collection to begin early in Kachin state

Members of the six main Kachin sub-groups agreed to put down the "Kachin 101 code" when they answer the census, instead of their respective Kachin sub-groups on Laiza meeting on Dec. 17, 2013.

Burmese government officials plan to begin collecting census data in remote parts of Kachin state census one month before the scheduled period when the national census is officially set to take place, according to an officer from Kachin state’s Immigration and Population Department. The area where the earl census data collection will begin includes parts of the state where a conflict between the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the military continues.

U Tin Soe, head of the Immigration and Population Department said that advance census data will be collected in five townships from March 1.

“An advance census will be performed in Putao, Machyangbaw, Sumprabum, N’jang Yang and Chipwi starting from March 1, because the census collection cannot be completed during the scheduled 12 day period. Some villages can only be reached in four or five days,” said U Tin Soe.

The government is giving training to personnel who will collect census data in those areas and some of these officials have already arrived in the townships he said.

“Some groups have already arrived and one group will depart for Sumprabum today. Some groups have bought air tickets,” U Tin Soe said.

The government has also planned to update house hold number registrations at the village and town level.

“It does not mean issuing a new house number again. It’s designed to avoid overlapping house numbers during the collecting period,” added U Tin Soe.

The government is moving ahead with collecting census data while rejecting calls from the KIO, registered Kachin political parties and Kachin civil society groups to rethink the way the census will be carried out. Many Kachin are upset that the census lists the various Kachin subgroups as separate ethnicities.

The government officially lists 135 ethnic groups in Burma. Of this group 12 sub-groups are classified in Kachin state however this figure has been disputed by Kachin organizations.

Members of the six main Kachin sub-groups have been encouraged to put down the “Kachin 101 code” when they answer the census, instead of their respective Kachin sub-groups.