UN applauds citizenship

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has welcomed the move to grant citizenship to three boys and their football coach who were rescued from a cave in Chiang Rai in an extraordinary operation featuring the cooperation of numerous countries.

“Thailand has given them the chance to both dream of a brighter future and to reach their full potential,” said Carol Batchelor, the agency’s special adviser on statelessness.

“Thailand has provided them with a formal identity that will pave the way for them to achieve their aspirations and to participate as full members of society, for them to belong.”

Stateless people can find themselves without access to basic rights and services. In some cases they cannot travel, marry, own property, work or effectively contribute to the societies in which they live. Several million people are known to be stateless worldwide.

“People living with statelessness often face a lifetime of uncertainty,” said Ms Batchelor in a statement that was released yesterday.

“This is a shining example of how positive action by a state can aid people and quickly resolve their stateless situation,” she added.

“We welcome this effort by Thailand and urge all states hosting stateless populations to help eradicate this entirely avoidable blight on humanity.”