Government Spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had commended Thailand for its groundbreaking step toward ending statelessness.

Mr. Jirayu quoted the UNHCR's Representative in Thailand as saying, "This will be historic. It would be the most dramatic reduction of statelessness the world has ever seen."

The Cabinet on 29 October 2024 approved a proposal for an accelerated pathway to permanent residency and nationality for nearly half a million stateless people who have been living in and contributing to Thailand for generations. Under the proposal, some 335,000 longtime residents of Thailand and members of officially recognized ethnic minorities will be eligible for permanent residence and over 142,000 of their children who are born in Thailand will be eligible for Thai nationality. Those granted permanent residence can apply for Thai nationality after five years.

The 484,000 people targeted by the approved proposal are among nearly 600,000 individuals registered as stateless in Thailand, meaning that they are not legally recognized as nationals of any country. But their ties to Thailand are stronger than to any other country, and stateless people have for decades made substantial contributions to the economy and cultural diversity of Thailand.

The approved proposal will help unlock the full potential of their contribution to Thailand, as those granted nationality and permanent residence will be able to move freely within Thailand to seek educational and employment opportunities and meet Thailand’s dynamic labor needs. Without such status, stateless people in Thailand face challenges travelling to other provinces for employment opportunities.

Processing times for nationality and permanent residence will be shortened, and the criteria streamlined. Applicants must demonstrate loyalty to Thailand, good conduct – including a clear criminal record – and not have any affiliation or evidence of nationality with any other country. The vast majority of the target population are individuals whose residence in Thailand was documented by Thai authorities between 1984 and 2011.

Recently, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, and the UNHCR worked together in organizing a one-stop service mobile registration exercise for the Moken on Phayam Island in the southern province of Ranong,

The UNHCR also stated that Thailand continues to be a global and regional leader in the eradication of statelessness. The country was among the founding members of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness launched by UNHCR and pledged at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum to resolve statelessness, with priority given to children born in Thailand.