No Identification Papers

[cheehong]

Hi all,

I came to understand that many people living in and around Maesai do not have identification papers (which means they are not Thais). I was told that these people come from Burma, China and Loas and have been living in Maesai for many years. Some of them live in the Golden Triangle.

The questions I need to ask are :-

1] Why the Government does not recognise them as citizens,

2] They are poor people and was told that they cannot travel out of Maesai (if they want to find jobs elsewhere),

3] The locals employ them as cheap labor cos they have no alternative,

4] Anyway of acknowledging them as citizens.

Hope you all can help.......... thank you.

[Lite Beer]

Moved to General Topics

[InterestedObserver]

Hi all,

I came to understand that many people living in and around Maesai do not have identification papers (which means they are not Thais). I was told that these people come from Burma, China and Loas and have been living in Maesai for many years. Some of them live in the Golden Triangle.

The questions I need to ask are :-

1] Why the Government does not recognise them as citizens,

2] They are poor people and was told that they cannot travel out of Maesai (if they want to find jobs elsewhere),

3] The locals employ them as cheap labor cos they have no alternative,

4] Anyway of acknowledging them as citizens.

Hope you all can help.......... thank you.

I'll take a stab at this one:

1. It's political and they don't have the required documentation; i.e., a Thai birth certificate. Thailand does not make it easy for outsiders to get citizenship.
   
2. No ID card, no travel or work outside their enclave. Simple.
   
3. Yes, at least they have some work, albeit underpaid and often abused.
   
4. Not likely.
   

[Maizefarmer]

Hi all,

I came to understand that many people living in and around Maesai do not have identification papers (which means they are not Thais). I was told that these people come from Burma, China and Loas and have been living in Maesai for many years. Some of them live in the Golden Triangle.

The questions I need to ask are :-

1] Why the Government does not recognise them as citizens,

Some are recognised as citizens - the "definitions" used are complicated.

2] They are poor people and was told that they cannot travel out of Maesai (if they want to find jobs elsewhere).

Depends what catorgory of "papers" they have been issued with.

3] The locals employ them as cheap labor cos they have no alternative,

Correct - a common practise all over Thailand

4] Anyway of acknowledging them as citizens.

The Red Cross, then UN(HCR), the Thai autthorities ..... and half a dozen other agencies have been trying to find solutions to the problem for the last 20 odd years or so.

A large portion of these "non-citizens" are displaced ethnic minorities from Burma. Some are in refugee camps (where the above organisations are active - and yes - they are confined largely to the camps). They are Burmese citizens who for obvious reasons can't be sent back. The other big group are the Hill Tribes - some groups of which are recognised as Thai citizens, or have the right to residency in Thailand, while some do not.

Its a long a complicated problem with no easy solution - there never is for minority groups, we see the same problem in many parts of the world all over the world

Hope you all can help.......... thank you.