The Thai government recently announced that it will complete the registration of stateless persons within the next two years, ensuring that this group can obtain legal identity and corresponding rights.
The Minister of Justice, Tawe, emphasized after witnessing the signing of the "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Assisting the Registration of Identity Information and Stateless Persons" that the government highly values improving the quality of life of the people, especially caring for vulnerable groups, including those who are stateless, without identity, without religious beliefs, and unable to register identity information.
This issue is not only a focus of the Thai government but also highly regarded by the United Nations.
Currently, there are about 1 million people born in Thailand who have not registered their identity or lack official records. According to the Ministry of Interior, about 480,000 people have submitted applications for identity registration.
However, due to the complexity of the identity verification process involving government procedures and national security considerations, it could take 70 to 80 years to complete based on past approval speeds. Therefore, how to accelerate the approval process and grant legal identity to this group is an urgent issue for the Thai government.
To advance this work, seven institutions including the Office of Rights and Liberties Protection, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Department of Land and Child and Youth Protection, the Justice Department's Forensic Center, the Administrative Office of the Ministry of Interior, the Office of the Basic Education Commission, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have signed the MOU, committing to strengthen cooperation, unify standards, and screen and review the 480,000 applicants. The project is expected to be completed within two years, and the government has also promised to ensure that the identity registration tasks of all applicants are completed on schedule.
According to the agreement, led by the Ministry of Interior, the Administrative Office and the Ministry of Education are responsible for the specific identity registration affairs. For school-age individuals, after completing the identity registration, they will receive a "G" marked identity, which means they can enjoy 15 years of free education and corresponding medical protection.
Finally, Colonel Tawe addressed the civil servants, emphasizing that today's era is an era of public awakening, and national governance must follow the principles of good governance. He reminded civil servants that their salaries come from the people's taxes, and serving the people, helping the people, and protecting the rights of the people is their mission. He hopes all government officials will uphold a sense of responsibility, actively promote the implementation of this policy, and contribute to social fairness and justice.
