No special treatment for citizenship for 4 “Wild Boars”

[rooster59]

No special treatment for citizenship for 4 “Wild Boars”

 

 

Mae Sai district officials are searching for the birth certificates of three members of the Wild Boars Academy football team and their coach, Aekkaphol Chanthawong, legally required for the process of granting citizenship to stateless persons.

 

25-year old Aeekaphol and the three boys, 16-year old Pornchai Kamluang, 14-year old Adul Sam-on and 13-year old Mongkol Boonpiam, are categorized as stateless persons as they were born to families of ethnic groups.

 

Mae Sai district chief officer Somsak Khanakham said Friday that the Wild Boars Academy football team has about 60 members and many of them are stateless persons, including the four survivors from Tham Luang cave.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/no-special-treatment-citizenship-4-wild-boars/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-07-15

[yellowboat]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

No special treatment for citizenship for 4 “Wild Boars”

Perhaps, but the world is going to be looking at this process.  The superior minds in the Thai government best be ready to explain.  Dirty laundry will be examined.  This is going to be part of the story. 

[hansnl]

4 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Perhaps, but the world is going to be looking at this process.  The superior minds in the Thai government best be ready to explain.  Dirty laundry will be examined.  This is going to be part of the story. 

Maybe the British Government could give them a nationality?

[nahkit]

28 minutes ago, hansnl said:

Maybe the British Government could give them a nationality?

Why?

[hansnl]

2 minutes ago, nahkit said:

Why?

Why not?

Seen the great British part in the saving of the group?

Edited July 15, 2018 by hansnl

[nahkit]

7 minutes ago, hansnl said:

Why not?

Seen the great British part in the saving of the group?

Oh dear, are you getting a teeny bit jealous?

[chingmai331]

Well, we can read this to learn more:

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thai-cave-rescue-stateless-survivors-to-get-thai-citizenship

 

and personally, i'm pleased if the lads can get passports. Surely, His Majesty The King of Thailand could step in to facilitate the process, if need be.

[webfact]

‘No fast-tracking of citizenship’ for rescued four

By Vajiravit Lertbamrungchai 
The Nation

 

 

Mae sai District chief says will follow rules

 

THE CHIEF of Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district has emphasised that Thai citizenship will be granted based on the law and no exemptions will be made for four of the footballers rescued from the cave who are stateless citizens.

 

“I understand that society wants the rescued boys to get citizenship. But we have to comply with the law,” Mae Sai district chief Somsak Khanakham said. 

 

He was speaking after news reports said some Mu Pa Academy members were stateless. The 12 footballers and their coach were stranded inside the flooded Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province for more than two weeks before a spectacular rescue operation.

 

Somsak explained that a person is eligible for Thai citizenship when he or she is born in Thailand or born to Thai parents.

 

Somsak said the four rescued footballers who did not have Thai citizenship were coach Ekkapon Chantawongse, 25, Pornchai Khamluang, 16, Mongkol Boonpium, 13, and Adul Samon, 14. 

 

According to the Mae Sai district chief, the stateless footballers had called on him for help with their citizenship about two months ago. He said he had already offered them advice. 

 

Somsak said he had heard that Ekkapon had already contacted the authorities but had yet to submit all the required documents. 

 

“For children, their parents must be the ones to submit the request for citizenship,” he said. 

 

Somsak said he expected the footballers to officially seek citizenship after they are discharged from Chiangrai Prachanakroh Hospital. The 13 are now being treated and monitored at the hospital.

 

Meanwhile, Surapong Kongchantuk, director of the Karen Studies and Development Centre, said the citizenship issue of the stateless footballers should be considered on a case by case basis. He explained that the details of their cases differ. “Some of them may be qualified to get Thai nationality but there are some problems, such as the slow approval process. Others may not be qualified at all,” Surapong said.

 

He pointed out that many children in rural areas failed to get Thai nationality because there was a shortage of officials dealing with the matter. 

 

He said local officials could not cope with the number of applications for Thai nationality, leaving many children stateless even though they were qualified.

 

“Because of the heavy workload of officials, many children are deprived of their basic rights,” he said.

 

Surapong said that according to the law, children born in Thailand acquired Thai nationality by blood – when either parent is a Thai – and by place of birth, except in cases where their parents are non-Thai minorities or illegal immigrants.

 

However, he added that the Interior Ministry had issued orders from time to time, providing exemptions to the nationality law in certain cases, such as children of non-Thai minorities registered before 2005.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30350092

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-16

 

[cornishcarlos]

I think they should be processed, the same as everyone else waiting for processing. Just because they got stuck in a cave, doesn't entitle them to jump the queue !!

They are already in a position to make a better life for themselves, much more so than the majority of stateless people in the region.

Sure I'm gonna get slated for that comment but it's just my opinion ?

[Topdoc]

Anything is better than permanent residency in the caves

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Somsak explained that a person is eligible for Thai citizenship when he or she is born in Thailand or born to Thai parents.

quite the pure thai thinking, especially from a district chief who has to deal with a lot of non-thais;

there are other channels for citizenship, some available, but in practice not quite usable, to us expats

[Tonawatchee]

Heaven forbid should more personnel actually be assigned to help alleviate the extra paper work involved here in order to remove the burden of statelessness from these kids and others whose lives would increase for the better. Is there an annual limit on government new hires?

[ZeVonderBearz]

We'll see this lot in the next episode of the Big Joke's alternative reality show. They're very easy targets, go into the hospital and kick their areses back to where they belong, coming here, stealing jobs and getting lost in caves. 

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Surapong Kongchantuk, director of the Karen Studies and Development Centre...pointed out that many children in rural areas failed to get Thai nationality because there was a shortage of officials dealing with the matter.  

He said local officials could not cope with the number of applications for Thai nationality, leaving many children stateless even though they were qualified.

“Because of the heavy workload of officials, many children are deprived of their basic rights,” he said.

"a shortage of officials dealing with the matter"

I suppose that's inevitable when it seems like half of the (un)civil servants are basking in inactive posts.

 

"Heavy workload" - is that what they're telling him, or is he being diplomatic. From what I've seen, I can't imagine any government employee being overworked.

 

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[Arkady]

2 hours ago, YetAnother said:

quite the pure thai thinking, especially from a district chief who has to deal with a lot of non-thais;

there are other channels for citizenship, some available, but in practice not quite usable, to us expats

 

For expats working in Thailand there is a very usable route to citizenship by naturalization. Snce 2008 those with Thai wives no longer need to get PR first or be able to speak Thai and the fee is only 5,000 baht. Those with Thai husbands don’t need to be working or have PR or be able to speak Thai.

[sfokevin]

It would be nice if the divers offered to donate thier Thai Elite Cards to the coach and boys...?

[Arkady]

The minister has discretion under the Nationality Act to waive certain requirements and grant citizenship to persons who have rendered distinguished services to Thailand. The four stateless cave survivors in effect did quite the opposite through their ill advised decision to enter the cave, causing a lot of grief and expense to the country and the loss of a man’s life.

 

If they have applied for citizenship, or will in future, they should be considered on the same basis as all others applying at the same time with the same qualifications. On the other hand the government should speed up the process of verification for stateless persons entitled to apply for citizenship through birth in Thailand. The law on this complex involving a collection of amendments to the Act, cabinet resolutions and ministerial regulations and needs to be simplified, so that it enables the process, rather than blocking it and providing local officials with the opportunity to demand bribes.

 

The present situation whereby hundreds of thousands of stateless people who have Thai names, speak Thai and are culturally Thai are systematically deprived of healthcare, education and employment benefits provides no obvious benefit to Thailand. The problem started with the first census in the early 50s when thousands of minorities who should have been classified as Thai were deprived of citizenship because, being slash and burn farmers, they were not in their principle villages when census officials arrived, often resulting in several generations of statelessness.The government should fix the problem it has created and turn them into economically productive Thai citizens for the benefit of all.

[Surasak]

3 hours ago, ZeVonderBearz said:

We'll see this lot in the next episode of the Big Joke's alternative reality show. They're very easy targets, go into the hospital and kick their areses back to where they belong, coming here, stealing jobs and getting lost in caves. 

You mean you want him to live up to his name?

[sawadeeken]

In Thailand............... ANYTHING is possible when 'money changes hands'............ WHY,..... WHY...... WHY...... can't this be done??????????????????

I think it can be done............. But 'will' it be done since it's 'not' likely a 'bribed' item...................

[maxcorrigan]

"But we have to comply with the law,” after reading that little gem, i could/n read any further!

[Baerboxer]

On 7/15/2018 at 11:31 AM, hansnl said:

Why not?

Seen the great British part in the saving of the group?

 

Much better than those fair weather friend nations who were seen to sit idle by on their fat <deleted> waiting to join any photoshoots for sure.

[timendres]

Imagine if they did process these kids "outside the law".

Tomorrow, every stateless kid in Thailand would be looking for a dangerous cave to crawl into.

[Srikcir]

On 7/16/2018 at 9:29 AM, Arkady said:

The minister has discretion under the Nationality Act to waive certain requirements

Looks like problem solved:

"For now, in the glare of international attention, the government has promised to give the cave trio legal assistance in the process of nationality verification. If no complications arise among their personal documents, they could be Thai citizens within six months."

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1048783-it’s-not-just-the-two-boys-and-the-coach-plucked-from-the-cave-who-deserve-to-be-thai-citizens/?utm_source=newsletter-20180717-0649&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=news

 

[CantSpell]

On 7/16/2018 at 4:54 AM, webfact said:

 

Surapong said that according to the law, children born in Thailand acquired Thai nationality by blood – when either parent is a Thai – and by place of birth, except in cases where their parents are non-Thai minorities or illegal immigrants.

 

 

Can someone explain this please?

I am not illegal and I dont think I classify as non Thai minority: am a working expat..

 

Clearly written on my daughter birth certificate (born in Thailand) that she is NOT eligible for Thai Nationality. Mother is not thai..

[RocketDog]

On 7/15/2018 at 7:59 PM, Arkady said:

 

For expats working in Thailand there is a very usable route to citizenship by naturalization. Snce 2008 those with Thai wives no longer need to get PR first or be able to speak Thai and the fee is only 5,000 baht. Those with Thai husbands don’t need to be working or have PR or be able to speak Thai.

Arkady, your comment grabbed me. I would like to learn more.

I suspect many others would too.

 

MODERATOR: if this is considered off topic I apologize. I would PM Arkady for details but thought his info would serve the forum well.

 

Arkady, any links or other sources of info, benefits or pitfalls of this approach would be much appreciated.

 

 

[stud858]

Humanity at its worst. One day a king of the world will be born.  He will be an action man,  a decent man,  an unfussed man about doing simple deeds.  like walking these kids into the right department where ID cards are printed and paper work filed. Getting a good thing done without power play quickly and without selfishness. He will come.

[bitcoinforever]

they will never give them passports just waiting till international spotlight goes away. thai ministry of interior makes trump look like a saint. passports issued last year drum roll 181 , look hard at that number it is real , on that number alone their should be U.N sanctions on thailand. why do you think there is never government outrage about u.s. immigration policy here dont want them looking closely at us,  good luck kids hope you get it