Myanmar junta starts census, critics say its gathering details of opponents

Myanmar's military government conducts census for voter lists amid civil war, facing resistance from pro-democracy groups and armed militias.

Myanmar’s military government launched a nationwide census was on Tuesday, which the junta said will be used to compile voter lists for a general election promised for next year, even though much of the country is engulfed in civil war.

Census takers, most of them schoolteachers and local administrative workers, began going door-to-door in the capital, Naypyitaw, accompanied by soldiers and police.

The shadow National Unity Government, a group that led the struggle against military rule, has advised people to use “caution” in complying with the survey, and pro-democracy guerrillas have warned that those who help collect information will face reprisals. Several were attacked and killed during a similar smaller-scale survey last year.

The military government was widely seen as hoping the polls will legitimise its rule, which began after it seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

In a televised speech in early September, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, said the information being gathered from October 1 to October 15 was crucial for compiling voter lists for a general election, but did not specify a date for the polls. He previously pledged to hold an election in 2025. He also said that people must answer all the questions without anxiety or doubt.

The census was widely seen as an effort to gather information to more closely monitor opponents of military rule.

The Ministry of Immigration and Population said more than 42,000 census workers will gather information from more than 13 million households across the country. The survey contained 68 questions on matters such as the number of people living in each home, their education, disabilities, types of houses and access to water, electricity and toilets.