Rot Chai – Many Mon and Karen children living in Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand expect to receive Thai citizenship early, as Thai parliament’s recent policy to issue Thai citizen status to all children with aged 7 years old and above.
According to a local Thai teacher in Sangkhlaburi in Kanchanaburi Province, she told to IMNA that the new law to issue Thai citizen cards to 7 years old children is already implemented in many parts of Thailand and it will gradually move to Kanchanaburi Province.
In Kanchanaburi Province, although many Mon and Karen parents have been migrated to Thailand due to war and poverty in Burma, their children are born in Thailand and are integrated into Thai communities. These children will be recognized as citizenship, accordingly to Thai Constitution and laws.
Thai teacher said, “it is a legal way to issue these identity cards for the kids. Recognizing them in early age. It is a way of preventing fake ID cards. But another concern is still exiting. Some may take this opportunity to sell their ID cards to illegal people”.
Since many hundreds of thousands of illegal migrant workers entered to Thailand in providing cheap labor for Thai industries, the authorities have been always concerned that those come foreign countries obtained this opportunity.
Thai immigration authorities have directly went to schools, and issue the students with 7 years old and above, and they try to make sure all kids in schools born in Thailand with full evidence will get ID card, said the local village leader.
Nai Wichian Sirihong, village head of Sangkhlaburi District section 2, Wangka Mon village confirmed, “the authorities will come to our village school in July. They will come directly to school and issue the ID cards for the kids”.
But the authorities will make sure the kids are born in Thailand and their parents or relatives are already recognized as Thai citizenship.
There are many thousands of Mon and Karen ethnic people living in Kanchanaburi Province. A well known Mon abbot, Luphaw Uttama, founded one Mon village, called Wengka (fish pool), and the Mon migrants resettled under his protection. After living for 5 decades peacefully, the Mon community is recognized to be Thai citizenship and integrated into Thai community. The village has about 1500 households.
Similarly to the Mon village, there are many Karen and Mon villages in Thomphaphoom and Sai Yok Districts of Kanchanaburi Province.
Thai authorities will issue the ID card to all kids from July 11 to September 30, described in Thai Immigration website.
