Page 44 - Dignity and justice for all of us our voices are heard in Thailand
P. 44
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
A man
University student
Sakhon Nakhon province
Voice
“If we don’t know A man from Sakhon Nakhon province describes the challenges he faced in obtaining
that we have a right, recognition of his rights in Thailand because he did not have Thai nationality.
we cannot realize He was born in Thailand, but until recently, he only held Vietnamese nationality. His parents,
that it is being reportedly Thai-born of Vietnamese origin, had initially acquired Thai nationality, which was
then revoked and later re-acquired. He explains that his nationality at birth was erroneously
violated” registered as Vietnamese. Although his Thai nationality was finally recognized after a long
period and many administrative procedures, his experience made him realize that the
deprivation of nationality prevents a person from enjoying fundamental rights, stemming from
not being recognized as a legal person for even the simplest administrative procedures. “You
can really only understand the true implications of this if you have had firsthand experiences,
such as not being able to open a bank account or obtain a simple driving license,” he explains.
He also mentions that his aspiration had been to enter medical school, but as he was not
administratively recognized as a Thai national, he was told that he could not be entitled to
obtain a public service post upon graduation.
Fortunately, he was advised to seek help from the National Human Rights Commission, and
thus eventually acquired his Thai nationality. He is now in his fifth year of medical school.
“If we don’t know that we have a right, we cannot realize that it is being violated,” he explains.
Since obtaining his Thai nationality, he has been helping a number of students who have not
obtained Thai nationality, despite being born in Thailand, to gain entrance to schools. He points
out that the right to study and enter university should not depend on whether or not one is
Thai. “Nationality is an abstract concept to me. What is important is to have the possibility to
enjoy equal opportunities and have the same rights as others. I was born in Thailand, have
always lived here, and will die here,” he stresses. He recommends that the United Nations assist
the government in raising awareness on the right to recognition.
32 Dignity and Justice for All of Us
