Turkey turned into a "ghost country" on Sunday as a much-criticized census curfew kept residents indoors while thousands of census-takers circulated door-to-door to collect demographic data.
The 14-hour curfew, denounced as a primitive measure in public opinion polls, began at 0200 GMT.
The streets in the capital were empty and almost silent with only a handful of buses and taxis allowed to work, recalling unwelcome memories of numerous curfews the Turks experienced following military coups in 1960, 1971 and 1980.
Shops, cinemas and other businesses were ordered closed, while train and metro services stopped as the curfew took effect at dawn.
Only emergency services, the police, the army and those who received prior permission from authorities were on duty.
Turkish Airlines cancelled half of its regular domestic flights, while tickets for international flights counted as permission to go out.
The questionnaire to which the people responded included 43 questions on a wide range of issues, ranging from household details and educational qualifications to more personal information such as the number of miscarriages women over the age of 12 have had.
Foreigners residing in Turkey were also ordered to stay home to be counted. Tourist groups were allowed to go sight-seeing, while those making individual trips were ordered to stay in their hotels.
Authorities allowed around 2,000 tourists who arrived on three ships in the Aegean resort of Kusadasi to tour two nearby antic cites, but did not let them into the city center, sparking harsh protests from the group and their travel agencies, Anatolia news agency reported.
Police also prevented attempts by several shop-keepers in Kusadasi to open their stores, but did not stop a small group of foreigners who breached the curfew from taking a walk in the city center, the agency added.
In the face of harsh criticism over the curfew, Turkish officials said that Sunday's count will be the last one and then a computerized system will be introduced -- just as they had said during the previous census in 1997.
"Let's hope we will leave all complaints behind by the next census," Finance Minister Sumer Oral said after being counted at Istanbul airport before flying for the G-20 summit in Canada.
The head of the State Statistics Institute, which was in charge of the census, said a high domestic migration rate made the curfew compulsory in the absence of a national population registration system.
"Migration moves pertain to 20 percent of the population. That is why we cannot have a census without imposing a curfew," Sefik Yildizeli said.
The census outcome is vital for Turkey's municipalities, which receive funds in proportion to their population.
Several mayors, including the mayor of Ankara, have threatened to impose hikes in municipal services prices for those who try to dodge the count despite repeated warnings from the interior ministry that such sanctions will be illegal.
The census results are expected to be announced in six weeks.
In 1997, the census put Turkey's population at 62.5 million – ANKARA (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
