Lucky Joe
DNA testing opens new window of opportunity for stateless children
- Published: 30/08/2011 at 09:02 AM
- Newspaper section: Life
It has been an onerous existence for Joe, the first 16 years of his life. A resident of Chiang Rai, he was given Thai citizenship and an identification card only this month.
A nine-year girl carries her sister in Mae Fah Luang district, Chiang Rai.
Joe was born to a Thai couple in the mountain province 827km north of Bangkok 17 years ago, but his mother did not register him at birth. By the time his parents realised the importance of birth registration, it was too late and Joe had to endure all sorts of embarrassment growing up as a stateless boy even though Thailand was his country of birth.
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