Room for half a million more
ality verification. If no complications arise among their personal documents, they could be Thai citizens within six months.
Stateless people in Thailand endure limitations in many aspects of their lives. They are denied rights and opportunities that citizens can take for granted. The process of obtaining citizenship can be extremely lengthy, sometimes stretching into decades. Applicants must coin toss. They’re at the mercy of their case officer who, like the cave rescuers, is sometimes working in the dark. All that time spent in limbo represents opportunities lost for a full and happy life.
One of the boys, Adul Samon, 14, crossed the border from Wa territory in Myanmar in the hope of being properly schooled and earning a better future. He speaks fluent English, Burmese, Wa, Mandarin and Thai. He was the inter- preter when foreign rescuers needed to speak to his teammates. The youngster is smart, caring, ready to help others and has a lot of pluck. He’d make a fine citizen.
Thailand has a long, troubling history in its dealings with refugees and other immigrants. There is a general mistrust of outsiders among the populace, their suspicions fanned by nationalists who insist foreigners are always poised to take over their homes and livelihoods. The newcomers who are fortunate enough to gain citizenship might well be subjected to demands they embrace “Thainess” as well as the language and customs.
Yet there are few qualms in Thai society about exploiting the stateless people along the borders. Members of ethnic hilltribes make great tourist attractions, presented as “Thais” in brochures and on postcards peddled to visitors. The people on the perimeter who aren’t so “exotic” are exploited as cheap sources of labour.
All of this has to change. Thailand must adopt a more humane approach in assessing applications for citizenship and demanding documentation. We can start by respecting their inalienable rights as human beings and proceed from there.