BANGKOK: Thai civil society groups voiced concern on Tuesday (Mar 26) about the fate of 19 stateless children taken into government custody this month, saying they could be deported to neighbouring Myanmar, although a minister denied any plan to do so.
The groups say the case throws a spotlight on Thailand’s lack of readiness to care for undocumented children, whose numbers are rising, fuelled by growing instability and violence in Myanmar, after a military coup in 2021.
The children, aged between five and 16, “have been denied access to parents and relatives since Mar 12, when government social workers took them from a shelter in the northern province of Chiang Rai”, rights worker Nutchanart Boonkhong told Reuters.
“We saw how the government works and we are very concerned,” said Nutchanart, who set up the foundation running the shelter.
She cited a similar incident last July when 126 children, mostly belonging to ethnic minorities, were sent to Myanmar by Thai authorities because they were undocumented, sparking an uproar by civil society groups.
“That group was deported, and it is unknown whether there was any follow-up on their welfare,” she added.
At the time, officials said they were following rules on deportation after discovering numerous undocumented children at a public school in the central province of Ang Thong, far from the border.
Source: CNA
