Stateless Surat Thani man, 68, gets ID card

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Stateless Surat Thani man, 68, gets ID card

By The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

A man living alone in Surat Thani’s Khiri Rat Nikhom district has won the district chief’s approval to receive an identification card for the first time thanks to a Facebook post.

 

A neighbour posted that the 68-year-old, who lives in a one-room bungalow on a rubber plantation in Ban Wang Plai village in Tambon Yan Yao, had been denied all welfare for the poor because he had no ID card since birth.

 

The post drew the attention of the Surat Thani governor who instructed Khiri Rat Nikhom district chief Charnwit Siraphakdee to help the man until the Provincial Administration Department agreed to grant an ID card. The man is known among villagers as Uncle Hiak.

 

Charnwit said Hiak was among 40 stateless people identified in Khiri Rat Nikhom by a survey in 2015. The Provincial Administration Department agreed to carry out the process of granting them Thai citizenship in a project to honour His Majesty the late King Rama IX.

 

As part of the project, the officials checked DNA of the stateless residents to compare with their relatives but the case of Hiak could not proceed because his parents died when he was six and he has no other close relatives for DNA reference.

 

The district chief ordered the head of Moo 10 village in Tambon Yanyao to organise a meeting of residents, who were at least 70 years old.

 

The meeting endorsed Thai citizenship for Hiak, affirming that he grew up in the village.

 

As a result, the district chief resolved to give him a Thai name, Suchart Samphao, as well as granting him an official address.

 

 

Learning of the decision, Suchart purportedly shed tears of joy.

 

He said he has been living alone in a 3x5 metre room on the rubber plantation of his distant relative. Without an ID card, Suchart has been denied all services, and his house does not have power.

 

He makes a living by collecting vegetables to sell for Bt100 or Bt200 a day. With an ID card, he would be eligible for monthly allowances for the poor and elderly.

 

The district chief said an ID card should be issued by June 18.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30370961

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-06-12

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[AlexRich]

Poor man ... incredible that this took so long.

[KC 71]

Stateless Surat Thani man, 68, gets ID card
By The Nation
 

FILE photo
 
A man living alone in Surat Thani’s Khiri Rat Nikhom district has won the district chief’s approval to receive an identification card for the first time thanks to a Facebook post.
 
A neighbour posted that the 68-year-old, who lives in a one-room bungalow on a rubber plantation in Ban Wang Plai village in Tambon Yan Yao, had been denied all welfare for the poor because he had no ID card since birth.
 
The post drew the attention of the Surat Thani governor who instructed Khiri Rat Nikhom district chief Charnwit Siraphakdee to help the man until the Provincial Administration Department agreed to grant an ID card. The man is known among villagers as Uncle Hiak.
 
Charnwit said Hiak was among 40 stateless people identified in Khiri Rat Nikhom by a survey in 2015. The Provincial Administration Department agreed to carry out the process of granting them Thai citizenship in a project to honour His Majesty the late King Rama IX.
 
As part of the project, the officials checked DNA of the stateless residents to compare with their relatives but the case of Hiak could not proceed because his parents died when he was six and he has no other close relatives for DNA reference.
 
The district chief ordered the head of Moo 10 village in Tambon Yanyao to organise a meeting of residents, who were at least 70 years old.
 
The meeting endorsed Thai citizenship for Hiak, affirming that he grew up in the village.
 
As a result, the district chief resolved to give him a Thai name, Suchart Samphao, as well as granting him an official address.
 
  Learning of the decision, Suchart purportedly shed tears of joy.
 
He said he has been living alone in a 3x5 metre room on the rubber plantation of his distant relative. Without an ID card, Suchart has been denied all services, and his house does not have power.
 
He makes a living by collecting vegetables to sell for Bt100 or Bt200 a day. With an ID card, he would be eligible for monthly allowances for the poor and elderly.
 
The district chief said an ID card should be issued by June 18.
 
Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30370961
 

-- [emoji767] Copyright The Nation 2019-06-12 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

There are many people in my village here in the Rai that now have Thai I.D( good ,so they can now use the hospital system [emoji106])
They only thing is 40 people i know on fb have birthdays on Jan 1st( my wife included [emoji2]


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