Are The Shan "invisible Thai"?

[Just1Voice]

I recently read an article about a 10 yr old boy in Chiang Mai who has come forward in hopes of finding his Japanese father. There seems to be a "trend" developing here of half-Thai, half-Japanese children now surfacing in hopes of finding the men who fathered them and then left.

But the part of the article that really caught my attention was that his mother is Shan, therefore he is "stateless". If I understand this correctly it means he is not a Thai citizen, has no legal rights, can not attend school because he can't provide any documentation, which basically makes him "invisible" to the rest of Thai society.

I really don't understand how this can be happening in this day and age. In the U.S., regardless of where your parents are from, if you are born on U.S. soil, that automatically makes you an American citizen. Although I'm not positive (and I'm sure Ian could help me out here), but I think the same applies to England, and most other countries of the world as well. But not in Thailand.

If you do some research, as I did, you'll find the Shan are Tai Yai, speak a language similar to Thai, and come from the same geographic regions of Central China as the Tai came from. But even with the common denominators of genetic linkage, apparently the Thai feel the Shan are not worthy of recognition, but that it's ok to use them for cheap labor and other things, without giving them any basic rights.

If your parents are Ethnic Chinese, live in Thailand, and you are born here, you're Thai. If your mother is Thai and your father farang, but you are born here, you're Thai. But if your mother is Shon, you don't exist.

Shame on you, Thailand.

[Naam]

If your parents are Ethnic Chinese, live in Thailand, and you are born here, you're Thai.

only if the parents are thai citizens!

[canuckamuck]

This effects many more people groups than just the Shan. It is a complicated situation that Thailand should have begun to fix many decades ago.

Although I do know many people now that have started out stateless but have gone through the system and have received citizenship. It is very difficult for those without resources or friends that are able to help.

I do agree that a birth in Thailand for stateless kids kids should result in citizenship. But I believe the government is concerned it might increase illegal migration.

Edited May 23, 2009 by canuckamuck

[sabaijai]

Not travel-related. Moved to General Topics.

[Briggsy]

If you're parents are Chinese nationals, you don't get Thai nationality automatically (except in the unusual circumstances they are permanent residents).

However you will have access to the group that is the economic and political powerhouse in today's Thailand. You will be able to make use of connections, legal expertise and capital. Most importantly, you will not meet prejudice when applying for citizenship. The majority of pending citizenship applications are from Chinese.

If you are Akha, Karen, Lisor, Lahu, Shan, and all the other minorities living mainly in Thailand's remoter border areas, you will meet bureaucratic intransigience. There are numerous stories of 2 or 3 or more generations born in Thailand and they are still waiting for citizenship.

This means they cannot graduate from high school and so cannot study at university, cannot work legally, cannot vote, cannot travel freely around Thailand, will receive appalling treatment at the hands of the authorities particularly the police and are basically stuffed and powerless.

Like many things in Thailand, scratch the surface and you will find great injustice hidden underneath.

[PeaceBlondie]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shan

My friend from Mae Hong Son province is one-half Tai-Yai (Shan). He, like both his parents, is a Thai citizen. Thousands of others are not.

[canuckamuck]

Not trying to be pedantic, but my wife insists that Thai Yai and Shan are two different tribes, but some Shan may speak Thai Yai. I know that the Shan used to have their own state in Burma, But I do not know where the Thai Yai are predominantly from. Mostly we see the Thai Yai on Thai construction projects living in those tin shacks.

[Briggsy]

Not trying to be pedantic, but my wife insists that Thai Yai and Shan are two different tribes, but some Shan may speak Thai Yai. I know that the Shan used to have their own state in Burma, But I do not know where the Thai Yai are predominantly from. Mostly we see the Thai Yai on Thai construction projects living in those tin shacks.

Correct.

Separate written languages. Travel in Shan State in Burma and you'll see many signs written in three languages, Burmese, Thai Yai and Shan. If you can read Thai, at first glance you might think the second two are Thai but look closer and you'll see the letters are clearly from the same recent root as Thai but are not the same and are not the same as one another.

Most Thais will use the terms Thai Yai and Shan interchangeably. These are the Thais who now something about the ethnic minorities from the northern region. In fact most Thais refer to all northern minorities as "Jeen Haw". <deleted>, the ignorance is staggering.