Cambodia conducts national census after 11 years hinh anh 1An officer (left) interviews villager Rin Meta during the national population census which began on March 3 (Source: phnompenhpost.com) 

Phnom Penh (VNA) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on Cambodians to take part a national census from March 3-13 by providing accurate information for officers so as to obtain correct national statistics for the country’s development.

This is the first time the census has been conducted from the State budget after Cambodia was categorised as a lower middle-income country. The most recent census was carried out in 2008.

On March 2, Minister of Interior Sar Kheng also called upon every citizen to participate in the census.

For foreigners who are immigrants and non-immigrants living in Cambodia, he said questions have been prepared in various languages.

This will provide the exact number of foreigners of all nationalities who are living in the Cambodian territory, he said.

According to the National Statistics Institute at the Ministry of Planning, the census will run from March 3 to 13. Some 50,000 census officers throughout the country will conduct house-to-house visits and interview dignitaries and the public who are the heads of almost three million families.

During the 11-day period, each census officer will interview 120 to150 families. The initial result of the census will be made known in March, while the official result may be announced between June and September once the analysis is completed.

Some 9 million USD from the national budget will be used for the census, which aims to collect specific demographic data to be used in drawing up sound socio-economic policies.

The results will also serve as an indicator to monitor Cambodia’s national strategic development plan and sustainable development goals of 2016-2030 without leaving anyone out.-VNA
VNA