Babies abandoned by migrants in Phuket due to cost, insurance row
By Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation

 

The pregnant Myanmar migrant worker (the woman on the pink) works in a market in Phuket. Photo Pratch Rujivanarom

 

PHUKET: -- A MIGRANT workers support group in Phuket has revealed major concerns about nationality status, with workers from Myanmar abandoning babies at public hospitals. There have also been reports of migrant workers unable to obtain birth certificates for children.

 

More than 10 newborn babies were left at public hospitals in Phuket every year, Sumana Pakburawat from the Diocesan Social Action Centre said. 

 

She said the reason behind such tragic abandonment was mainly financial, as many migrant workers were poor but not able to use free healthcare rights under their Universal Coverage insurance – or because they never had insurance in the first place.

 

Sumana said many migrant workers were also unable to get records of their babies’ birth from hospital officials, so their children end up being unregistered and stateless – as their parents usually couldn’t show proof on the identity of their employer.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30306292

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-02-14

Condoms

My son was born in a Thai hospital to my  stateless (refugee status in Thailand) wife. My son is registered in a Thai hospital, but still stateless as far as Thailand is concerned. Since my wife can not go back to Cambodia he only has my nationality,  and can not leave our province  in Thailand without becoming an illegal alien in the eyes of Thai authorities. Which makes it tricky to visit my embassy in Bangkok with him.

The Myanmar people can go back to Burma anytime, bring their offspring and register them in their hometown. There is no time limit on this.

Fun does come at a price a high price. Same thing on another scale happened in Viet Nam during the war there. So many children wandering around that went unclaimed unwanted by their birth country and perhaps a father unaware of the existence. How sad. 

From the cover photo I am concerned that babies have been hidden in onion sacks......