Forgotten Stateless Vietnamese in Thailand

Abstract

AbstractMigration of Vietnamese to Thailand is not recent. Thailand has accommodated Vietnamese fleeing violence, political upheavals and religious oppression for over 350 years. Among these Vietnamese, some were able to be integrated into Thai society, others managed to return to their motherland and many rebuilt their lives in a third country. Due to problems between Thailand and Viet Nam that stemmed largely from ideological antagonism characteristic of the Cold War, the Vietnamese refugees fleeing conflicts during that time faced the most difficulties while in Thailand. Their existence and issues surrounding them including their belonging had been politicised throughout. National security was deployed to legitimise restrictions of the group. Their children, even though born and brought up in Thailand, were unable to acquire Thai nationality. Although policies toward this population had been significantly improved since 1992, it took years to resolve their problem. While many remain in Thailand, some tried their luck to move irregularly to seek a better life in other countries such as Japan. There, they ended up living in limbo because of their illegal entry and unsolved statelessness status.