Slideshow on “Human rights of tribal minorities in Thailand” for Political Geography – © Mark M. Miller, Professor of Geography; School of Biology, Ecology, & Environmental Science; The University of Southern Mississippi

1. Human Rights: Tribal Minorities
By: Katherine Sorensen
GHY 341 : World Political Geography
University of Southern Mississippi – School of BEES
Fall Semester, 2018

2. Background
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
• University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
• GIS/Planning Internship
• Thailand
• USM

3. Research
มลาบรี MlaBri
• ‘Phi Tong Luang’
• The ‘last of the hunter-gathers’
• “found”, “settled”, “civilized”
• Entering Thai society
• Successes and failures
Image source: Kate Sorensen

4. Statelessness
• “A stateless person is someone who is not
considered as a national by any state under the
operation of its law”
(UNHCR, 1954 convention. article 1)
• Around 10 Million worldwide denied a nationality.
-UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 2017. "This is Our Home" Stateless Minorities and their Search for Citizenship, UNHCR November 3, 2017.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 2017. "This is Our Home" Stateless Minorities and their Search for Citizenship, UNHCR November 3, 2017. Pg. 3

5. Hill Tribes of Thailand
• Over 480,000 registered stateless
• Mostly members of ethnic hill tribes
Tanakasempipat, Patpicha. 2018. ‘Stateless’ Thai cave boys and coach granted citizenship. Reuters. August 8: Https://www.reuters.com/articles/US-Thailand
accident-cave-citizenship/stateless-Thai-cave-boys-and-coach-granted-citizenship-iduskbk1ktsd
• Different Language, culture, religion, history
• Do not have Government documents
Image source: Kate Sorensen
-Morton, Micah F. 2016. The Indigenous peoples’ movement in Thailand expands. ISEAS Perspective. no.68/2016 ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute: 1-12.

6. Statelessness – What this means
• Without recognized nationality or citizenship tribe members
CANNOT:
– Own land
– Receive state services
– Travel outside village
– Legally work
– Attend government school
– Legally drive
– Access state health care
– Get married
-Ishii, Kayoko. 2012. Impact of Ethnic Tourism on Hill Tribes in Thailand. Annals of Tourism Research. 39(1): 290-310.
-UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 2011. Regional Expert Roundtable on Good Practices for the Identification, Prevention and Reduction of Statelessness and the
Protection of Stateless Persons in South East Asia. March 2, 2011 Report. Bangkok, Thailand
Image source: Kate Sorensen

7. Gaining Attention
• ‘Cave Boys’
– 3 players and coach were stateless tribe members
– Tribes from the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Shan ethnicity
– International attention exposed ongoing hardships
– All received citizenship
Tanakasempipat, Patpicha. 2018. ‘Stateless’ Thai cave boys and coach granted citizenship. Reuters. August 8: Https://www.reuters.com/articles/US-Thailand-
accident-cave-citizenship/stateless-Thai-cave-boys-and-coach-granted-citizenship-iduskbk1ktsd
Ives, Mike., Jirenuwat, Ryn. 2018. 3 ‘wild boars’ get Thai Citizenship, but stateless is pervasive. New York Times – Asia Pacific. August 9:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/world/asia/-thai-cave-boys.html