The Vulnerability of Stateless and Undocumented Person in the Thai-Lao Border of Ubon Ratchathani Province
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Abstract
This research examines how statelessness among Thai-Lao border populations stems from historical migration processes and Thailand's past limitations in managing civil registration. It perpetuates intergenerational citizenship inequality and creates vulnerability among stateless individuals. The study employs qualitative research methods, including document analysis and a case study approach to data collection through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions.
The findings reveal that statelessness results from Cold War-era conditions that drove Indochinese migration to Thailand. During this time, Thailand had not yet joined the Refugee Convention and lacked adequate legal frameworks to accommodate migrants. These limitations led to the blanket categorization of migrants as illegal immigrants, trapping them and their descendants in statelessness that persists today. Stateless people in Ubon Ratchathani Province face multidimensional vulnerabilities affecting their mobility, employment, and property rights. This vulnerability is exacerbated by ambiguous interpretations of relevant of relevant laws regarding status determination, leading many officials to exercise discretionary avoidance, which perpetuates statelessness. The research proposes that vulnerability from statelessness can be mitigated, particularly regarding living conditions, by accelerating status determination processes to reflect factual circumstances and improve efficiency. It recommends developing decentralized mechanisms for personal status operations that encourage community participation and enable local government organizations and civil society to collaborate with the main responsible agencies through mobile registration teams.
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