Lucky spotlight: The stateless status of two members and the assistant coach of the Wild Boars highlighted the situation of some half a million undocumented ethnic minorities and highland people residing in northern and western Thailand, like the long-neck Karen hill tribe, who fled Myanmar more than two decades ago. — Reuters
THE unexpected bonus that came with the dramatic rescue of the Wild Boars from a flooded Chiang Rai cave was the spotlight that suddenly shone on the technically stateless legal status of two of the boys and their assistant coach. It is hoped that the outpouring of sympathy from Thais and the global community will improve their chances of obtaining much-awaited Thai citizenship.
The three are among half a million members of ethnic minorities and highland people residing in northern and western Thailand who have no country to call their own, despite – in the case of many of them – having been born here. The dire circumstances of the cave operation revived the usually dormant issue of these stateless people. As much as the three who were plucked from the dark deserve to be granted citizenship, a speedy resolution of the issue for all the people affected in Thailand would be most gratifying.
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