Explainer

Some of the boys rescued from a Thai cave are 'stateless.' What does that
mean?

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   overlooked since the start of military rule in Myanmar in the 1960s.
   Three of the boys, as well as their coach, 25-year-old Ekkapol
   Chantawong, belong to Thailand’s stateless population. “Coach Ek” and
   these boys have escaped from the treacherous caves, but remain trapped,
   as they have been all their lives, in a state of legal limbo.

   Statelessness is a serious and little understood problem common in
   regions like the Myanmar-Thailand border plagued by conflict. Stateless
   persons are not recognized as citizens of any country. “Theoretically,
   all people must be under the care and protection of at least one
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   Although health care and education are provided to all people in
   Thailand, it can take more than 10 years for some stateless people to
   get nationality to acquire Thai citizenship, according to Surapong.
   Those awaiting a decision cannot legally work, open a bank account,
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   labor.

   How did some of the members of the Wild Boars become stateless? Like
   many others in this situation, they came from minority groups subjected
   to ethnic conflict, human-rights abuses and economic deprivation in
   Myanmar. In many cases stateless persons are simply denied citizenship
   at birth. Hundreds of thousands of them have crossed the border to
   northern Thailand.
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   Coach Ek was the boys’ only caregiver for 18 days. Himself a member of
   the stateless Shan community, he has said that the lack of status of
   some members of the team had often deterred the team from traveling to
   away games —and will prevent some of his talented players from becoming
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   One of the young players, Adul Sam-on, who proved an invaluable
   translator to the team’s English-speaking rescuers, is a stateless
   member of the Wa, a self-governing tribe not recognized by Myanmar or
   Thailand. Adul’s parents smuggled him into Mai Sai when he was six
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   of Coach Ek, to demonstrate their resiliency.

   The boys’ story has raised hopes of a better life for all stateless
   people in Thailand. Meanwhile, the team has vowed to play soccer every
   chance they can. The game provides them with a sense of normalcy, even
   in their very abnormal condition of statelessness.

   UPDATE, Jul13: The Independent newspaper reports that Thai authorities
   have now promised to provide Coach Ek and the stateless boys legal
   assistance and say that, barring complications, all will have Thai
   nationality within six months.
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Explore related topics

     * statelessness
     * Burmese Refugees