Citizenship granted to Thailand's colonial diaspora

[webfact]

Citizenship Granted to Thailand's Colonial Diaspora
By Khaosod English


Officials grant Thai citizenship to 24 representatives of those descendants, 12 March 2015.

PRACHUAP KIRI KHAN — Following decades of bureaucratic delays, Thai authorities have finally granted citizenship to descendants of Thais who found themselves without a formal nationality after the British Empire declared their homes to be in Burmese territory nearly 150 years ago.

Pongpan Wichiansamut, permanent secretary to governor of Prachuap Kiri Khan province, presided over the ceremony granting Thai citizenship to 24 representatives of those descendants today.

The new citizens’ ancestors lived west of Prachuap Kiri Khan and lost their official nationality when the British Empire declared the area part of colonial Burma in July 1868. The region, called Tenasserim, had previously been considered part Thailand, then known as Siam.

Although the descendants of the group later migrated to Thailand, they were never formally recognized as Thais by authorities. The group first filed a request for citizenship in 1976, but their application was only accepted by the Cabinet in 2006, Pongpan said.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1426150204


-- Khaosod English 2015-03-12

[12DrinkMore]

If it takes a Thai 30 yeras to get an application accepted and another 10 years to finally get a piece of paper, what chance do we have???

[SupermarineS6B]

Oh, let's blame the British ! 1868 ? 1976 ? stretching it a touch boys, maybe try blaming yourselves for a change...... What about Phuket, or should i say "Jung Ceylon" were they denied citizenship ?

[laolover88]

Should have gone to the UK.

[Benmart]

Should have gone to the UK.

Not my business.