Thai citizenship likely for one Mu Pa footballer

[webfact]

Thai citizenship likely for one footballer

By THE NATION

 

Mongkol Boonpium

 

Tambon official says records of mu pa player Mongkol, 13, found at nursery.

 

AT LEAST one of the four stateless Mu Pa footballers rescued from the flooded Tham Luang cave has a good chance of securing Thai citizenship. 

 

“We have found his records at a municipal nursery, and although his parents are not Thais they are documented residents of Thailand,” Tambon Wiang Pha Kham Municipality’s clerk Lieutenant Kittichai Charoenying said earlier this week. “So it is very likely that he was born here in Thailand.”

 

Kittichai was speaking about 13-year-old Mongkol Boonpium. 

 

Under Thai law, a person can get Thai citizenship if he is born to a Thai parent or parents, or is born in Thailand. 

 

Mongkol was one of the 13 members of the Mu Pa Academy Mae Sai trapped by flash floods inside the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province for more than two weeks.

 

The fate of the 12 boys and the team’s assistant football coach rivetted the attention of people across the world. Experts from several nations joined Thailand’s 17-day-long massive effort to rescue the trapped football team, turning what was believed to be an impossible mission into “mission possible”.

 

Although one ex-Navy SEAL died during the operation, all the 13 trapped footballers were eventually evacuated safely. 

 

During the operation, it was revealed in media that Mongkol, Mu Pa teammates Pornchai Khamluang, 16, and Adul Samon, 14, as well as assistant football coach Ekkapol Chantawongse are stateless. 

 

Since then, there have been growing calls for the four to get assistance with the process of seeking citizenship. 

 

Kittichai this week said his municipality had already told Mongkol’s parents to produce witnesses or further documents to back up their request to recognise the boy’s Thai citizenship.“The process will take some time. But at this point, it is quite convincing that the boy was born here in Thailand,” Kittichai said. 

 

Ban Pa Meud School director Iam Boriboon said Mongkol had enrolled at his school from Prathom 1. 

 

“We can issue the certification in this regard,” Iam said. 

 

Chiang Rai is a border province with Myanmar, and many people living there lack Thai citizenship papers. 

 

Among them is Adul and many of his friends at the Chiang Rai Grace Church. 

 

“To tell the truth, most children at the church do not have Thai citizenship,” said a migrant worker from Myanmar who has already given birth to three sons on Thai soil.

 

She said she has known Adul well since he was very young. 

 

“He’s an orphan. His parents have already passed away,” she said. 

 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, she said it would be extremely difficult for Adul to successfully undergo the nationality-verification process, given that he no longer had his parents by his side. 

 

By Thai laws, a parent must contact authorities to request Thai citizenship for his or her child. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30350349

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-19

[HHTel]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Under Thai law, a person can get Thai citizenship if he is born to a Thai parent or parents, or is born in Thailand. 

That's not true but I do hope he gets his Thai citizenship.

[Artisi]

I think all kids born in Thailand and who have resided here to x number of years, attended school etc. should be given citizenship.

[bandito]

On ‎7‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 5:40 PM, HHTel said:

That's not true but I do hope he gets his Thai citizenship.

Well you're wrong.

Since around 1993 Thailand changed the law and a person born in Thailand to a Thai parent gets automatically Thai citizenship by birth.

As did my son born in 1997.

My daughter born in 1990 was born stateless and it took me 1,5 jear to get her Thai citizenship which she got.

[Spidey]

At the initial press conference, the regional governor, in charge of the rescue, clearly stated that all the boys had already been given Thai citizenship.

[jerry921]

7 hours ago, Spidey said:

At the initial press conference, the regional governor, in charge of the rescue, clearly stated that all the boys had already been given Thai citizenship.

Well, he said more than one thing that later turned out to be incorrect.

[sanemax]

8 hours ago, bandito said:

Well you're wrong.

Since around 1993 Thailand changed the law and a person born in Thailand to a Thai parent gets automatically Thai citizenship by birth.

As did my son born in 1997.

My daughter born in 1990 was born stateless and it took me 1,5 jear to get her Thai citizenship which she got.

No, the report was incorrect .

Children born in Thailand (with no Parent being Thai ) are not given Thai Citizenship

[HHTel]

Just now, bandito said:

Well you're wrong.

Since around 1993 Thailand changed the law and a person born in Thailand to a Thai parent gets automatically Thai citizenship by birth.

As did my son born in 1997.

My daughter born in 1990 was born stateless and it took me 1,5 jear to get her Thai citizenship which she got.

You didn't read it properly.  I was responding to a post that says you get Thai citizenship simply by being born in Thailand and that is not true. What you state is correct.  The original post said the same but 'OR being born in Thailand'.