Despite the government’s moves to make the process simpler, Thailand’s citizenship laws, among the most complex in the world, are still a bureaucratic nightmare. No less than 18 types of ID cards exist for various different ethnic groups; applying for one can take years. There are two birth certificates: one legal, the other just a delivery document recording that the mother gave birth. Dauntingly complex, the process fazes even government functionaries, who may be penalized for the slightest administrative mistake. As a result, few officials appear willing to go the extra mile for highlanders.
The government also views the hilltribe people’s citizenship as a national security issue, a problem exacerbated by intermittent flows of tribal groups from the Mekong subdelta region, such as Burma’s Shan or Karen groups fleeing guerilla wars at home.