Ethnic data from 2014 census to be released
The long-awaited and final section of the 2014 census will be revealed within four months, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, adding that preparations for the release of the ethnicity data are underway now. U Myint Kyaing, permanent secretary of the ministry, told The Myanmar Times on January 2 that the officials still need to hold discussions with ethnic leaders to arrange for any problems that might occur in the wake of releasing the report. He declined to specify what issues might arise. “Now, some data are being corrected and finalised for the last time, then we will hold discussions with ethnic leaders and then we will release the report,” he said. Religious and ethnic data from the 2014 census were initially withheld. The question of ethnic identity especially was one of the most controversial elements of the census, before it was even conducted in March and April. Prior to the count, many international experts called for the question to be removed for fear it could exacerbate religious and ethnic tensions.
