BANGKOK, 5th January 2017 (NNT) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has posted on its website an announcement that recently the Cabinet approved two resolutions to further address the issue of statelessness and promote the rights of stateless persons in Thailand, as proposed by the Ministry of the Interior.

The ministry's website says the Cabinet approved in principle the draft Ministerial Regulation to specify the status and conditions required to stay in Thailand for persons who are born in Thailand but who do not possess Thai nationality. This Regulation, once promulgated, will grant foreign children born in Thailand the right to legally stay in Thailand, observing the rights of their parents, and preventing the children from being criminalized as illegal immigrants.

The Cabinet also approved a resolution on Guidance and Measures to address nationality and status problems of stateless students and others born in Thailand but lacking nationality. This resolution enables foreign children who were born in Thailand to apply for Thai nationality, on the condition that one of their parents is from an ethnic minority group, is registered with the Ministry of the Interior and has lived in Thailand for not less than 15 years, or their parents are from other groups but the children themselves have received a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in Thailand. Children who are currently studying can also apply for Thai nationality to the Minister of the Interior. Abandoned children can also apply if they have lived in Thailand for not less than 10 years and have certification from relevant agencies under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. This policy can potentially grant access to Thai nationality to up to 80,000 children in Thailand.

These two Resolutions are aimed at further protecting the rights of children born in Thailand and who have lived in Thailand between 10 – 20 years. They are a response to Thailand’s obligations as a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). More importantly, they strongly reaffirm Thailand’s national commitment to end statelessness, and to work as a progressive role model to address this issue at the international level.

http://nwnt.prd.go.th/centerweb/news....LyYyc2IF.dpuf