Census enumerators violating regulations face stiff penalties, Muhammad Bin Falah Al-Qahtani, Assistant Supervisor General of the census in Jeddah Governorate, has warned. The national census is scheduled to start next Tuesday and it will include violators of the residency (Iqama) and labor regulations and unidentified persons. This will be in coordination with the security authorities who will stop security campaigns against illegal aliens during the census period so as to enable enumerators to count all individuals present in the Kingdom. The census will also cover employees of embassies and consulates general of foreign countries and their families who be enumerated in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Occupants of hotels of all categories, furnished apartments, ships as well as transport and fishing ships present in Saudi territorial waters on the night of assignment will also be included in the census. Al-Qahtani said enumeration of Saudis abroad will be carried out individually. The enumeration of employees in Saudi embassies and those working abroad will be assigned to embassies. Meanwhile, students will be enumerated through their families in the Kingdom. Al-Qahtani appealed to citizens and expatriates in the Kingdom to cooperate with participants in the census and provide them with the correct information. He stressed that the information will be kept secret. Enumerators shoulder the responsibility of not disclosing any information which they have received, he said. Al-Qahtani urged the enumerators to put on the official uniform during the work period and deal with others kindly and respectfully. He said they should show appreciation for the circumstances of some families and abide by the time for conducting the census. He stressed that they should not neglect any available data during their work. The data acquired will help in the drawing up of the Kingdom's development plans, he said. Various phases of the census in Saudi Arabia began several months ago, including the recent 40-day-long head count of Bedouin and other inhabitants in the Empty Quarter desert. Officials have repeatedly asked the public to cooperate fully with the survey, and assured persons living in the Kingdom illegally that all census information will remain confidential.
