It has been found that the Royal Thai Government had an agreement with UNHCR Thailand to register and also to issue an I.D. card for Burmese ethnic minorities in the nine temporary shelters. Even though this I.D. card is not yet legalized under law on civil registration of Thailand, it is undeniably “an act of the Thai State”.
Since 2005, two types of the I.D. card were issued:
The first type of the card, called “Temporary Identity Card for Displaced Person”, was used during 2005 – 2006. For this first type of the card, 11 identity numbers, the Garuda as well as UNHCR symbol were shown on the card.
The second type of the I.D. card was issued during 2007 – 2009. The card in this period was called “Identity Card for Displaced Person” whose 13 digit numbers begin with 000. For this type, there was only the Garuda symbol appeared on the card.
More, please remark that since its expiration in 2009, the new ID card has not been renewed to the previous holders or even issued to the new ones, yet.
However, it is apparently admitted that the children of the refugees in the shelters who have evidence that they were born in Thailand are also entitled to the right to profile registration as persons without status in civil registration system. The Thai authorities are obliged to register these people into “Profile Registration of Persons without Status in Civil Registration System (Tor Ror 38 Kor)” and to issue “an ID card entitled Persons without Status in Civil Registration System” when they reach 12 year olds. Then, it is to bear in mind that as long as these children are not recognized by any country in the world, they are definitely ones of Thai population who are, according to Section 38 paragraph 2 of the Civil Registration Act 1991 as amended by the Act (No.2) 2008, without right to reside but given leniency for temporary permission to stay in the territory.
Furthermore, there is tendency for such legal practice of the I.D. card issuance to be recognized under Thai laws for the refugees living in the temporary shelters. Under Section 38 paragraph 2 of the Civil Registration Act 1991 as amended by the Act (No.2) 2008, the refugees could be also recognized as “Thai population who are without right to reside, but given leniency for temporary permission to stay”. More, they would be, according to law on civil registration of Thailand, entitled to an I.D. card, so-called “an ID card entitled Persons without Status in Civil Registration System”. However, this is to wait and see.
More or less, common consent regarding ASEAN Charter and integration of ASEAN Community in upcoming 2015 would help expediting process of “human legalization” in these nine temporary shelters along Thailand-Myanmar borders in some way.
