The Myanmar census, which is scheduled to begin on March 30, will include the Rohingya but that does not mean that they will be recognised as an ethnic group or as citizens of Myanmar, said a report citing the Union Minister for Immigration and Population U Khin Yi on February 12. The minister added that there is no recognized term for Rohingya as one of the 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar and no code number for Rohingya will be given during the nationwide census.
Meanwhile, about 1,300 Rohingya people who were detained in immigration detention centres and shelters across Thailand since January last year were deported to Burma three months ago, reported the Bangkok Post. Thailand’s Immigration Bureau commissioner Pharnu Kerdlarpphon said that the Rohingya people were deported with the cooperation of Thai and Burmese authorities.