The government has pledged to tackle the low birth rate crisis, declaring it a national agenda item. Such a move is timely, if not long overdue, as Thailand has experienced a demographic imbalance for decades.
The total fertility rate (TFR) for a Thai woman, at 1.16, is lower than the required rate of 2.1-2.3 to maintain a sustainable population. For two years in a row the mortality rate has outpaced the birth rate, which now stands at around 500,000, down 50% from the 1963-1983 period.
If this trend continues, the Thai population will be cut in half within six decades. With a lower workforce, government income in the form of tax will decline substantially.
Public Health Minister Dr Cholnan Srikaew has repeatedly raised concern over the crisis, vowing action to promote more births. However, this is easier said than done.
Previous attempts by state agencies to boost the fertility rate have all met with failure. In lieu of a significant overhaul, the government is fighting a losing battle.
While the reasons for married couples deciding to be childless vary, financial considerations play a major role. Given the rampant gender discrimination in Thailand, it's difficult for married women to have and raise kids. The current level of maternity leave must also be reconsidered.
Expecting people to survive on subsidies of 1,400 baht a month is unrealistic compared to the high cost of raising children. This subsidy includes 600 baht a month until a child is six years of age. This is provided by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, but it is limited to families that earn less than 100,000 baht a year.
What is needed are both direct and indirect incentives for married couples to have children and/or for unwed to people to start a family. This would include revamping the current tax system.
More importantly, the government must pay heed to a call by academics to adjust "nationalist" policies and grant more opportunities to migrant workers and their children.
The so-called "education for all" policy that can better assimilate the children of migrant workers into society could be a crucial solution to the fertility crisis.
Having said that, the repatriation of 126 stateless children who were studying in a school in Ang Thong to war-torn Myanmar earlier in July was a mistake.
Some may remember the case of Mong Thongdee, a formerly ethnic Shan migrant boy who dreamed of becoming Thai.
In 2009 he almost missed his chance to join a paper plane competition in Japan due to the fact he lacked Thai nationality. Aged 12, he returned from the contest with a gold medal in the team category and a third runner-up prize in the individual category.
A promise of Thai citizenship by the state had been delayed for almost a decade.
Meanwhile, four members of the Wild Boar football team who were rescued from a Chiang Rai cave faced similar difficulties. Without Thai citizenship, these talented kids had to contend with discriminatory measures, such as not being entitled to benefits from the universal health-care coverage scheme.
It's high time authorities opened up and adopted a more friendly naturalisation system for such kids.
This requires a change in mindset about migrant workers, as the country needs more kids like Mong Thongdee and others able to contribute as the country tries to get its demographic needs back in sync.