BANGKOK: A partly Australian-funded census has come under fire for discriminating against the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group at the heart of recent unrest in Burma (Myanmar).
Mob violence by nationalist Buddhists has blocked aid reaching the Rohingya in overcrowded refugee camps.
The United Nations agency conducting the first census in the country in 30 years says it is ''deeply concerned'' that the Rohingya, some of whom have lived in Myanmar for centuries, will be prevented from self-identifying as an ethnic group, violating international census standards.
''We are deeply concerned that this could heighten tensions in Rakhine state, which has a history of communal violence, as well as undermining the credibility of census data collected,'' the United Nations Population Fund said in a statement.
But even before census takers fanned out across the country, Buddhists campaigning against inclusion of the term Rohingya attacked the offices of international aid and UN agencies in western Rakhine, or Arakan as it is also called, forcing more than 70 workers to flee the state.
The agencies have been delivering food, water and other essential supplies to 200,000 Rohingya living in camps who had been forced from their homes by sectarian violence.
Without supplies conditions in the camps will become dire within days, aid workers say. The camps' inhabitants are confined to designated areas around the camps by government order.
The total Rohingya population of Myanmar is estimated at around 800,000. Myanmar's population is estimated at around 61 million, of whom about two-thirds are ethnically Burman.
Human rights groups have called on Myanmar's government to call off the census, which began on March 30 and is scheduled to run until April 10, to prevent growing communal violence and attacks on aid workers.
''The mob attacks in Arakan state illustrate the risks of proceeding with the census in such a volatile atmosphere,'' said Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch.
''The government should suspend the census until it can ensure adequate security and a fair process for everyone involved.''
Myanmar's government, which has won international praise for implementing reforms to open the country after decades of seclusion and military repression, initially agreed to conduct the census to allow each person to declare what ethnicity they belong to.
But the United Nations Population Fund said just before the census began senior government officials announced that people who define their ethnicity as Rohingya will not be able to do so.
They would have to register as ''Bengali,'' implying they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.
''If a household wants to identify themselves as Rohingya we will not register it,'' said government spokesman Ye Htut.
The Rohingya have been described by the United Nations as among the world's most persecuted people.
For decades they have been denied citizenship and face strict curbs on marriage, reproduction and travel.
Australia's former foreign minister Bob Carr announced in July last year that Australia would provide $3.2 million to fund the census, which he said would be invaluable in planning for future health, education and transport services.
Countries also funding the $74 million census include Britain, Norway and Germany.
Myanmar's last census was conducted in 1983.
Mob violence by nationalist Buddhists has blocked aid reaching the Rohingya in overcrowded refugee camps.
The United Nations agency conducting the first census in the country in 30 years says it is ''deeply concerned'' that the Rohingya, some of whom have lived in Myanmar for centuries, will be prevented from self-identifying as an ethnic group, violating international census standards.
''We are deeply concerned that this could heighten tensions in Rakhine state, which has a history of communal violence, as well as undermining the credibility of census data collected,'' the United Nations Population Fund said in a statement.
But even before census takers fanned out across the country, Buddhists campaigning against inclusion of the term Rohingya attacked the offices of international aid and UN agencies in western Rakhine, or Arakan as it is also called, forcing more than 70 workers to flee the state.
The agencies have been delivering food, water and other essential supplies to 200,000 Rohingya living in camps who had been forced from their homes by sectarian violence.
Without supplies conditions in the camps will become dire within days, aid workers say. The camps' inhabitants are confined to designated areas around the camps by government order.
The total Rohingya population of Myanmar is estimated at around 800,000. Myanmar's population is estimated at around 61 million, of whom about two-thirds are ethnically Burman.
Human rights groups have called on Myanmar's government to call off the census, which began on March 30 and is scheduled to run until April 10, to prevent growing communal violence and attacks on aid workers.
''The mob attacks in Arakan state illustrate the risks of proceeding with the census in such a volatile atmosphere,'' said Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch.
''The government should suspend the census until it can ensure adequate security and a fair process for everyone involved.''
Myanmar's government, which has won international praise for implementing reforms to open the country after decades of seclusion and military repression, initially agreed to conduct the census to allow each person to declare what ethnicity they belong to.
But the United Nations Population Fund said just before the census began senior government officials announced that people who define their ethnicity as Rohingya will not be able to do so.
They would have to register as ''Bengali,'' implying they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.
''If a household wants to identify themselves as Rohingya we will not register it,'' said government spokesman Ye Htut.
The Rohingya have been described by the United Nations as among the world's most persecuted people.
For decades they have been denied citizenship and face strict curbs on marriage, reproduction and travel.
Australia's former foreign minister Bob Carr announced in July last year that Australia would provide $3.2 million to fund the census, which he said would be invaluable in planning for future health, education and transport services.
Countries also funding the $74 million census include Britain, Norway and Germany.
Myanmar's last census was conducted in 1983.
Ok, but where is the airplane?
Posted by Rohianna on April 3, 2014 15:10