U.S.

scholarship leads to freedom for hundreds in Northern Thailand

First, The Thailand Project (TTP) heard 30. Then it heard 100. It has now been confirmed by Thai government officials that 400 stateless individuals have been granted Thai citizenship as a direct result of TTP scholarship student Srinuan Aor Saokhamnuans successful appeal last summer. And that number is still growing. This is the largest number of stateless peoples in Mae Sai to receive citizenship at one time, said Phubet Ekrmanaskarn, head of the Stateless Division within the Mae Sai District Office.

Saokhamnuans background
Saokhamnuans first steps towards citizenship began in 2008 when she was awarded a Higher Education as Humanitarian Aid scholarship from TTP, a nonprofit founded by Joseph Quinnell and Susan Perri while they were undergraduate art students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP). TTPs mission is to combat statelessness and human trafficking in Southeast Asia through education and advocacy. In Thailand, stateless populations are at the highest risk of human trafficking and exploitation. Statelessness is the condition of lacking citizenship from any country. Without citizenship, stateless individuals are denied rights. They have limited or no access to education, health care, work, ownership of property, or freedom of movement. Saokhamnuan was born into statelessness and grew up in a small Thai village where year after year, she watched children her own age disappear one by one. She had already been sold once, but was rescued by her stepfather before any harm could come to her. She became one of the few who were able to attend a Thai government school from kindergarten through sixth grade. My family couldnt pay for me to go to school, but my village leader paid and sometimes my teachers would help, Saokhamnuan said. After sixth grade, most stateless children are done. They work, or are forced to marry for money, or become prostitutes. My mother wanted me to stop school and start working, but my oldest sister fought for me.

Srinuan Aor Saokhamnuan as a young child (front/youngest) posing for a family photo with her step-father, mother, and three older sisters in front of their home in Northern Thailand. PHOTO CREDIT Unknown

When Saokhamnuan was 13, social workers visited her village where she was immediately flagged as being at extremely high risk for human trafficking. She was offered full-time shelter and schooling at a non-governmental organization near her village. They gave me a diploma that I graduated high school, but I didnt really graduate. It wasnt real school, she said.

Scholarship and beginning the case for citizenship

At the age of 19, Saokhamnuan was awarded a Thailand Project scholarship to study in at UWSP. I didnt believe my education was good enough and I didnt think Id be able to travel, she said. I couldnt speak English. The Thailand Project was always working and problem solving, but I had zero hope. Zero. I kept working with them, but I thought there was no point to it. Why do they work on this? Its impossible.

If at first you dont succeed

When the group tried again the following summer, things only got worse. Saokhamnuan was arrested and held for several hours because her travel papers were believed to be counterfeit. A policeman called her a liar and demanded money in order for her to be released. She refused to pay and eventually the chief of police allowed her to go home. I felt the effects of being stateless more than before. In the U.S., I felt equal. I could travel anywhere and I was just like everyone else. Every year I was more confident, Saokhamnuan said. Maybe I dont have citizenship, but I have education. Education opened my mind. I began to see things differently. The world became bigger than I thought. Even with Saokhamnuans new-found strength, Quinnell and Perri were concerned about her spirit. They watched from one month to the next as the Thai District Office asked Saokhamnuan to supply new witnesses, more paperwork, new photos, and more meetings with the head of her village. Saokhamnuans Thai citizenship appeal case was growing thick with evidence, but nothing seemed to matter. Once one request was met, another request would be made. In the Mae Sai District Office, wherever Saokhamnuans stack of evidence and paperwork moved to, she would sit across from the desk it was on or outside the office it was in. District office staff workers gave her dirty looks on a daily basis and told her to go home. Saokhamnuan began to crack. I called Joseph once and I said, I dont want to sit here anymore, I want to go home, Saokhamnuan said. And then Joseph and Susan came and sat with me. I couldnt have done it without their support. They would always push up and carry me even if I couldnt walk anymore. They would each hold one of my arms to keep walking.

Srinuan Aor Saokhamnuan is granted travel documentation by the Thai Government. PHOTO CREDIT Joseph Quinnell

But the impossible became a reality when the Thai government granted Saokhamnuan a travel document to study abroad and the U.S. State Department issued her a U.S. student Visa. Without citizenship, stateless people have limited legal protections and access to services like education, said Paul W. Neville, Political Economic Officer, U.S. Consulate General Chiang Mai. We appreciate the positive cooperation between Thai government officials, U.S-based non-profit organizations such as the Thailand Project, and the U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai in supporting equal rights to stateless populations in northern Thailand. Aors case remains the only one that were aware of in which Thailand and the United States gave such extensive travel permissions to someone who does not have a country. It was amazing international cooperation in the name of higher education and human rights, said Quinnell. Saokhamnuan began her studies at UWSP where she studied English as a second language for two years and then started working toward a bachelors degree in communication-public relations. During every academic break, Saokhamnuan, Quinnell and Perri would travel back to Thailand to continue work on her citizenship case. When I first met Joseph and Susan, I thought they were crazy. But the first year I traveled back to Thailand, I was sure that I would get Thai citizenship. I thought Susan and Joseph can do it. I was so excited! Saokhamnuan said. But success in Saokhamnuans citizenship case did not happen. Disappointment crushed her spirits and she felt that the current head of the District Office, whose signature was required for her case to move forward, was not going to help. I cried a lot. I would try to tell myself that it was OK. I still have a little bit of hope.

Srinuan Aor Saokhamnuan spends her summer waiting outside of the Head of the District Offices door. PHOTO CREDIT Joseph Quinnell

Finally, the head of the District Office agreed to meet with Saokhamnuan to discuss her case. She thought, This is it. It is going to happen today. But when she met with him, he only allowed her to speak for about 10 seconds before cutting her off to tell her she had to start completely over. I felt so tired. I didnt want to work on my case anymore. Joseph and Susan kept saying positive things, but I felt like my body would explode, Saokhamnuan said. In the U.S. I can sleep well, hang out with friends, but in Thailand, I was very stressed and I couldnt sleep and I felt sick.

Third times the charm

Back in the U.S., Quinnell and Perri proposed a deal. I asked Aor if she thought she could do one more summer, Quinnell said. I promised her that if she gave one final push, and her case still didnt move forward, we would stop working on her case until after she graduated. Saokhamnuan agreed and the three of them once again returned to Thailand, but this time with documentary film equipment in tow. We had always documented our process in Thailand through Josephs photography, Perri said. But this time we felt it was important to get the citizenship steps on film. We wanted to be able to document the experience in a more direct way. While Quinnell secured legal assistance in Bangkok, Perri and Saokhamnuan met with Suebsak Eaimvijarn, the newly appointed head of the Mae Sai District Office. Saokhamnuan said, All I told him was that I study in the United States and I dont have Thai citizenship. He said, What? How do you study in the U.S.? So I told him about the Thailand Project and how they gave me a scholarship. Srinuans case was the first stateless case I had ever worked on, said Suebsak Eaimvijarn of the Mae Sai District Office. I didnt understand how she was studying in the U.S. and also stateless. I told her that I would work on her case. I told her she would have Thai citizenship. Srinuans reaction was tears and joy, but she did not trust his words completely. I had learned to keep my expectations low. We had worked for years to get citizenship, but there would always be some problem. I wanted to believe, but I only had a little hope. Then, she started to see results. It all came down to this. We were in the right place at the right time working with the right people, said Quinnell. We had worked three years to create the scholarships and then another three years on Aors case. The patience and continued support from our donors was amazing. Things were moving and the past several years of work were finally paying off. The only roadblock to come was on the day Saokhamnuan was to be issued citizenship. She was told that her I.D. would not have a birth date.

Srinuan Aor Saokhamnuan proudly holds her new Thai National I.D. card. PHOTO CREDIT Joseph Quinnell

I told her, dont do it, Aor, said Quinnell. Its got to be everything or nothing. Without a birth date, you wont be able to get a Thai passport. Saokhamnuan was shocked. She thought that if she said no to their citizenship offer, she might never have another chance. I thought, what have we been doing this for? Weve worked for two years! I was not thinking long term. I was just so excited. Quinnell persisted and they met with Eaimvijarn to raise the concern. Saokhamnuan had no birth certificate, but all of her school records stated the same date of birth including her record from kindergarten. Just do it. Eaimvijarn told his staff. No longer did Saokhamnuan have to worry about or hope for her citizenship. It was done. I was shaking when I was looking at my I.D., she said, A blue card with my picture and everything. I couldnt let go of it. I wanted other people to see it, but I didnt want other people to hold it. Every country has the sovereign right to determine its citizens, but at the same time has the international responsibility to uphold every persons human right to a nationality, said Maureen Lynch, International Observatory on Statelessness. The Thailand Project has persistently pressed for a solution to individual and group statelessness. Their success demonstrates on a small scale that tackling this global problem once and for all is indeed possible.

Whats next for The Thailand Project

We first started this work back in 2005 while we were undergraduate art students, said Quinnell. Its been seven years; an amazing seven years, but its never been easy. Were looking forward to staying in one place for a time while we finish a few of our final commitments and reflect on what the project has accomplished. The Thailand Project is now working to raise the funds for Saokhamnuans final year of education in the U.S. After that, Quinnell and Perri plan to write a book.
(Left to Right) Srinuan Aor Saokhamnuan, Phubet Ekrmanaskarn, and Suebsak Eaimvijarn pose with Thai citizenship card. PHOTO CREDIT Joseph Quinnell

Unexpected news
After completing Aors citizenship case, Eaimvijarn wanted to do more. He set out to grant citizenship to 400 stateless individuals on the King of Thailands 84th birthday. By July 2012 the Mae Sai District Office had done just that. I think of the people in the community and how to make the community better, said Eaimvijarn. Citizenship will lead to less crime, trafficking, and problems. These are people who will help their country. Citizenship rights were given to 400 people under Eaimvijarns jurisdiction in Northern Thailand, and, according to Mae Sai District Office officials, 300 more stateless applicants are currently in the process of gaining their Thai citizenship. All around the world in Kenya, the Dominican Republic, Kuwait and Thailand statelessness prevents children from accessing one of the most basic human rights: education, said James Goldston, Executive Director, Open Society Justice Initiative. Aors story, and the resolution of several hundred statelessness cases in Thailands Mae Sai district, shows that this is a problem that can be overcome if the political will exists.

The book will be our primary focus for the next year or two beginning this February. Were going to share our experiences not only detailing the successes, but also the pitfalls. Wed like the book to be an inspirational playbook for people who choose to use their skills and abilities to help other people, but also realistic in how difficult doing good work is. said Perri. Well also be completing the filming and editing of the documentary we started in 2011. Saokhamnuan is on track to graduate in May 2014 with a degree in Communications - Public Relations. She hopes to use her education to fight the issues of statelessness and human trafficking in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia. Now I believe that small things can lead to big things, said Saokhamnuan. You never know what will happen when you start to do good things.

HOW TO HELP
For more information or to donate online, please visit:

www.TheThailandProject.org

If you would like more information about this story or to schedule an interview, please call The Thailand Project Inc. at: (715) 213-3221 or e-mail: jquinnell@thethailandproject.org

(Left to Right) Phubet Ekrmanaskarn, Susan Perri, Srinuan Aor Saokhamnuan, Suebsak Eaimvijarn, and Joseph Quinnell group photo. PHOTO CREDIT Unknown