Census fever has gripped Mongolia. The data collected will be the basis of
state policy and President Ts.Elbegdorj has reminded all citizens that to be
enumerated is a civic duty which no one should fail to perform. Prime Minister
S.Batbold, who is head of the Census Commission, has also appealed to the
people to participate in the census as a patriotic duty.

The
census began yesterday at 8 am. Among the first to be counted were the
President and his family at their Ikh Tenger residence in Khan-Uul district.
Anybody can seek information on the census by calling 121 between 8 am and 12
midnight.

Ulaanbaatar
citizens who work in the countryside would be counted by enumerators there. So
far there has been no report that the quarantine imposed following the outbreak
of foot and mouth disease in the eastern aimags has posed any problem to census
workers.

Citizens
who live and work abroad should send their details via the Internet. People
going abroad must present at the time of departure a certificate that they have
been counted. More than 16,800 enumerators and more than 13,200 controllers are
working on the census. Each enumerator in the countryside will have to visit 35
households.

More
than 100 translators will help enumerating foreign citizens who have been in Mongolia
for more than 183 days. The census questions for them are in English, Russian,
Chinese, French, Spanish, and also in Korean.

The
census will be over in a week and a preliminary analysis of the date will be
made after four months while the final results will be ready on June 1.