12 Year Old Paper Airplane Champion May Miss Chance To Represent Thailand At International Competition

[WaiWai]

High-flying Mong grounded by ministry's rules

Published: 30/08/2009 at 12:00 AM

Mong Thongdee, 12, wants to represent Thailand in competition.

(...)

Born to Burmese construction workers in Chiang Mai, Mong is a stateless child, which means he cannot have a passport or travel overseas.

(...)

"Officials told us that allowing a stateless person to leave the country will affect national security," Mr Duangrit said. "But this boy won't harm anyone. He will only make us proud."

Full story at bangkokpost.com/news/local/22929/high-flying-mong-grounded-by-ministry-rules

[cdnvic]

High-flying Mong grounded by ministry's rules

Writer: LAMPHAI INTATHEP

A 12-year-old paper airplane champion, Mong Thongdee, may miss out on the chance to represent Thailand at an international competition because he is a stateless child.

WING AND A PRAYER: Mong Thongdee, 12, wants to represent Thailand in competition.

He still practises folding and throwing origami planes every day in the hope he can represent the country in Japan next month. However, time for the young high flier is running out.

"I believe I can win the prize there. I would feel so sad if I can't get to Japan," he said.

Born to Burmese construction workers in Chiang Mai, Mong is a stateless child, which means he cannot have a passport or travel overseas.

Mong, a Prathom 4 student from Ban Huay Sai school in Chiang Mai's Muang district, was the winner of last year's national paper airplane contest, organised by the National Metal and Materials Technology Centre (Mtec) in Bangkok.

Mong's paper airplane stayed in the air for 12.50 seconds - the longest in the under-12 category, qualifying him as the country's representative at a paper airplane competition to be held in Chiba, Japan, on Sept 19-20.

But due to his nationality problem, he may not be able to attend the bi-annual "oriplane" contest.

"I love to fold paper airplanes, and I will continue to do so even if I cannot go [to Japan]," Mong told the Bangkok Post by phone from his home in Chiang Mai.

Asked what kind of reward he would like if he wins the Japan competition, he said: "I need Thai nationality, and some toys."

Duangrit Kesima, headmaster of Ban Huay Sai school, said the school had asked the Interior Ministry to let the boy travel overseas.

"Officials told us that allowing a stateless person to leave the country will affect national security," Mr Duangrit said.

-- Bangkok Post Aug 30

[WaiWai]

Thanks, cdnvic.

[animatic]

And they call farangs racist for being anti-Thaksin...

National security issue because he wants to represent Thailand internationally

in a competition he has a good chance of placing in, and they see it is bad?

Biting off their nose to spite their face. What utter foolishness.

[JUDAS]

A 12 year old child making and flying paper 'planes is a threat to national security!!

[PeaceBlondie]

As a natural born citizen, born in the USA, I criticize my country for its failings. But bestowing citizenship to all children of illegal immigrants to the USA, is generous and humane. To deny Thai citizenship to natives of Thailand seems inhumane.

[Lost in LOS]

two issues here:

the first, I don't think he should represent Thailand if he is not a Thai citizen.

the second If he was born here and lived here all his life he should be made a Thai citizen

[mrtoad]

A 12 year old child making and flying paper 'planes is a threat to national security!!

Yeah, what a joke.

[cdnvic]

A 12 year old child making and flying paper 'planes is a threat to national security!!

When it didn't show up on radar they became worried that this stealth technology would fall into the wrong hands.

[rkidlad]

This about sums up the Thai government and how they treat their citizens and own people.

Well I assume the boy wants to remain in Thailand so he can study and work here in the future. What he should do is get a Burmese passport. Stay in Thailand but represent Burma in this competition. Hopefully he would win, and no longer would he be a threat to national security; he would just be a threat to national embarrassment.

For me, it's not about where your parents are from, or even where you are born. It's about where you are raised that defines your nationality the most. But who knows? Maybe if Burma decide to come in and batter Thailand for the millionth time, he would be fighting for the Burmese. You really have to be careful you know!

[Thai at Heart]

Seems like National Security is flavour of the month for everything at the moment.

The logic of this decision is beyond me and it's apparent mealy mouthed spitefullness is extremely distasteful.

[Datsun240Z]

This about sums up the Thai government and how they treat their citizens and own people.

Well I assume the boy wants to remain in Thailand so he can study and work here in the future. What he should do is get a Burmese passport. Stay in Thailand but represent Burma in this competition. Hopefully he would win, and no longer would he be a threat to national security; he would just be a threat to national embarrassment.

For me, it's not about where your parents are from, or even where you are born. It's about where you are raised that defines your nationality the most. But who knows? Maybe if Burma decide to come in and batter Thailand for the millionth time, he would be fighting for the Burmese. You really have to be careful you know!

And not a dam_n thing we can do about it! TIT

[Thailand]

A 12 year old child making and flying paper 'planes is a threat to national security!!

Well I would think it is fairly obvious, if he left the country to participate in the competition he may well be abducted by foreign powers that want to steal the technology- obviously Thailand want to retain it for Thai airways new upgrades.

[spongeman]

I am fully behind the government on this one.

There should have been a crackdown on paper planes a long time ago. There should never be any crackdown enforced however on people who close down airports and strangle the country.

[RKASA]

Well lets see:

Never been outside Thailand in his life.

Born here

Speaks Thai

Goes to Thai schools

Learns Thai history

Sound like maybe all the rest of the kids born in Thailand are a security risk also.   Better lock em up.

If he grows up and marries a Thai will he have to get a visa and do 90 day reports?  They are going to let him grow up and fall in love and things like that right?  or is there a form for that too.

[poldebol]

Of course we all know that in Europe or the US, an alien kid in a smiliar situation would get a passport immediately.

[RKASA]

Yes in the US by law he would.  Just like Obama the US president did.  Nether of his parents were US citizens.  He was simply born in the US and thats good enough to make him the president.  In the EU I don't know.

[Thai at Heart]

Yes in the US by law he would.  Just like Obama the US president did.  Nether of his parents were US citizens.  He was simply born in the US and thats good enough to make him the president.  In the EU I don't know.

I may be wrong about all the relevant countries, but in much less time than 12 years he would probably be eligible for a passport in most EU countries.

Edited August 30, 2009 by Thai at Heart

[DP25]

Of course we all know that in Europe or the US, an alien kid in a smiliar situation would get a passport immediately.

In the US, he certainly would, if he was born there like this child was born in Thailand. Although I disagree with it, I don't see them changing citizenship or naturalization laws any time soon. The 'national security' issue comes from the fact that they'd have 20 million refugees crossing the border to get Thai citizenship if they had any sort of chance of it.

[slapout]

This is another group (Burmese living in Thailand)who are made to jump thru hoops, offspring although born here are not Thai citizens and will not be. The exploitation of the labor force which this group make up has been documented by local as well as International groups, but to no avail to date.

[EndofDays]

I am fully behind the government on this one.

There should have been a crackdown on paper planes a long time ago. There should never be any crackdown enforced however on people who close down airports and strangle the country.

I once lost a soldier to a paper airplane...took his head clean off...still live with the nightmares....

[aussiejosh]

*Yawn*, you all seem to miss the picture. Its a passport, a piece of paper. Its a boy with 0 opportunity, already born into a level of the system he is designed not to achieve in, designed to become a wage slave. Modern slavery through economics. God forbid that he has a talent which may give him an opportunity to escape (even if just for a day) this system, you are all willing to stand up and defend from one point of view or another.

I made 2,200$ yesturday working with people from 58 nations, I had never met them before I will perhaps never meet them again, the internet is the new world. To think you need a piece of paper, made by a fictitious organization(The government) to particatipate in another fictitious event (This competition) is ludicrous. These only exist to keep you where you are, and feeling that you have no individual power, thats why you read to believe your well informed and understand.

Its meant to be some fun that Children enjoy, but obviously this child shouldn't be allowed to enjoy it because he wasn't born into an acceptable social level for him to achieve this.

Congratulations on your defense of systems arguing with each other over the same point, the same ideas but with different names. Your all so smart.

But your all missing the point, go back to watching your CNN (and be spoon fed your dreary this is how the world is today bullshit) and forget this topic, to you its nothing. This boy will likely miss out, its not something even worth bothering about for mainstream media. Just another "that was interesting" article to make you consume the rest of what they you want to read and give you a break between their more important for your to absorb articles.

Please start trying to read independent news and you'll realize so much of this is just a joke to keep you looking at it.

[Rumfoord]

And they call farangs racist for being anti-Thaksin...

Who is they?

And being anti-Thaksin on what level? can you show some examples where and when this did happen: "they call farangs racist for being anti-Thaksin"

---

of course, a travelling 12 years old schoolboy who wants take part in a paper plane competition isn't directly a national security issue.

but if he wants travel international with airplanes, he will need travel documents. passport and visa. to get a thai passport he will need a thai citizenship or nationality. but his parents are burmese nationals and thailand doesn't have a birthright citizenship for a person born on the territory of the state. he is subjected to immigration and citizenship laws and have to undergo a naturalisation process. there are certain regulations, it's in the end also a matter of national security. the concerning law for naturalisation mentioned that for sure in some article.

and if he is born to burmese construction workers, should he not be able to apply for a burmese passport? the article says nothing about that his parents are some political refugees, asylum seekers or like hilltribes people who lived since generations on thai soil, but deep in the mountain and without ID cards.

statelessness is a real problem of course for many people in that area. poorest of the poor. lack of citizenship comes with lack of civil rights, no protection by the law and vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, discrimination, no future. being stateless is a fate he shares with many other people. there are families that live since generation in thailand and don't get recognised as citizen and can not easy apply for an ID card.

but that odd article doesn't say a word about this. the only issue that the boy has is that he can not travel to japan and/or that thailand will miss the change to be represented at the international origami airplane competition in the category 12 years old as best as possible.

that newspaper article trivialise the situation of the stateless persons in thailand.

as stateless child of stateless parents, born and living on thai soil could it be more easy to get nationality granted.

but as the child of burmese migrant workers he isn't actually stateless. that he is in a limbo, should be the burmese authorities blamed for or his parents that they didn't go through the necessary paper work., registred the birth at the embassy. but who knows what the legal status of his parents is. in the end the Bangkok Post maybe used the term 'burmese parents' just because they are not thai citizen, but in burma wouldn't give anybody them a citizen card or give their kid the citizenship. stateless over there as well. who knows.

an other aspect is, that he is still a minor. in the EU his parents would have to apply for naturalisation first, and must have got some legal status and or asylum granted.

if the parents are legal, like typical expats, working abroad, with contracts and working permits and whatever is requested, e.g. a thai couple working as medical professors in the UK, their son is born there, goes to an very traditional and very old school for boys, likes cliff richard and supports Newcastle United as the biggest fan they ever had. he still will not get citizenship. even if he is somehow stateless because his parents failed to apply for his legal thai travel documents at the embassy.

and represent a Nation in an International Competition just after got granted citizenship rights 3 weeks before would be look very strange. for the olympic games a sports(wo)man must be at least 3 years citizen before he can start for the new country.

[Rumfoord]

Yes in the US by law he would.  Just like Obama the US president did.  Nether of his parents were US citizens.  He was simply born in the US and thats good enough to make him the president.  In the EU I don't know.

you know so much about this president. are you an US-American citizen?

[LawnGnome]

Yes in the US by law he would. Just like Obama the US president did. Nether of his parents were US citizens. He was simply born in the US and thats good enough to make him the president. In the EU I don't know.

Except, of course, that Obama's mother was a US citizen...

But that 3 seconds it would have taken to find out was too much work, I gather.

[brahmburgers]

If the Burmese junta was smart, they would quickly issue passports for the kid and his immediate family, plus send $3,000 to them to facilitate his participation to the event in Kobe Japan.

As for the Thai bureaucrats, there's a willingness there to do something decent to enable the kid to travel and compete, but they're mired in the mud of their own bureaucracy. If Thai bureaucrats had a modicum of creative thinking, they would do something like issue a temporary passport to the kid.

I reside in northernmost Thailand, and know dozens of folks (mostly hill tribers) who are in similar predicaments as regards not having citizenship anywhere. They're the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Many, if not most, or them were born and have resided in Thailand - some for generations. However, they don't vote, they're not rich, so they're essentially non-entities as far as authorities in far off Bangkok are concerned.

Yet, if a big construction project project pops up (average wage: Bt.160/day), or if Thailand needed soldiers, or if some brothels need a bunch of young girls, then there's some interest in the disenfranchised who subsist at the fringes. Yet still there's no efforts to bring them in to the fold in any sort of legal way. Keep 'em ignorant and out of sight, that's the attitude of Bkk power brokers.

[Gonzo the Face]

Yes in the US by law he would.  Just like Obama the US president did. Nether of his parents were US citizens.  He was simply born in the US and thats good enough to make him the president.  In the EU I don't know.

I guess we all know now, the credibility and validity of the rest of your posts.

Class 'AAA' dork.

Do you guess at all things you post????

[ballpoint]

Come on, it's only paper planes. The government have got their priorities right. If he was competing in something important, like golf or tennis, he'd be given a passport, a ferrari, a pile of gold and a blank cheque.

[animatic]

Yes in the US by law he would. Just like Obama the US president did. Nether of his parents were US citizens. He was simply born in the US and thats good enough to make him the president. In the EU I don't know.

Where do you get that stupid crap.

Obama's mother is definitely a US CITIZEN.

His father was not, but you only need one.

At 18 he gets the choice of citizenship between parents countries

regardless of where he lived.

Not only that but children born on American military bases

or even embassies abroad are considered born on American soil.

I have a friend born on a US Nato base in Degaule era France,

she has DUAL USA/France passports that can't be recided.

As to "modicum of creative thinking" this if it existed early in youth was

systematically removed by schooling, and the immersion in the bureaucratic milieu.

As to the rantings of redrum:

A clear miss, and a mis-reading of most of the threads dealing with local events discussed here.

Yes, farangs who don't support Thaksin were said to be racists against Issanese,

as recently as this last week on TVF. It's there, and I won't do your searching for you.

But hey, don't let a good rant get derailed by verifiable facts;

shoot the messenger rather than search the forum.

Edited August 31, 2009 by animatic

[WaiWai]

I think we can leave Obama out of this now.

I agree that this or some other article could have looked more deeply into the issues involved; however, I was a little surprised it was there at all. Also, a personal story like this one does catch readers' attention.

The dilemma, I guess, is that even if some creative solution is found to allow the boy to take part in the competition (and I think members of this nation can, in fact, often display great creativity in such matters ), unwanted international attention might be brought to bear on certain aspects of the treatment of the Burmese in Thailand.

Perhaps the poor kid can fly himself over.

Edited August 31, 2009 by WaiWai