Sixteen years after one of the most notorious episodes in Myanmar’s modern history, the country’s military rulers are once again prioritising their political agenda over the lives of citizens devastated by natural disaster.
As hundreds of thousands continue to reel from the impact of severe floods earlier this month, the junta is moving forward with plans to launch a controversial census aimed at preparing for elections next year.
Slated to begin on October 1, the census will be the first in a decade. Unlike the one conducted in 2014, however, it will be carried out entirely by the regime, without any international assistance.
As the two-week census period approaches, junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has ordered the closure of camps set up to assist flooding victims, forcing them to return to their homes so they can participate in the census. Many, however, have little or. . .
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