As a Ministry of Interior Notification expediting citizenship applications from long-term immigrants and ethnic minority children will expire on 30 June 2026, proposals have been made for extensions to solve status issues for stateless people in Thailand.

The UN Human Rights Regional Office (OHCHR) for South-East Asia welcomes Thailand’s enactment of its new law on the protection and promotion of the ethnic groups’ ways of life, marking a significant step toward protecting the rights of ethnic groups in the country.

The Thai parliament has voted during the second reading of the Ethnic Way of Life bill not to include indigenous peoples in its definition of ethnic groups despite calls for the bill to ensure the protection of indigenous cultures.

Move Forward Party (MFP) MPs have re-submitted to parliament a bill to promote indigenous people’s rights based on the 300 policies proposed during the election campaign.