Home Current Cave rescue highlights plight of Thailand’s stateless people

Cave rescue highlights plight of Thailand’s stateless people

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Cave rescue highlights plight of Thailand's stateless peopleBy Panu Wongcha-um and James Pearson MAE SAI, Thailand (Reuters) – On the Thai side of the mountainous border with Myanmar, where 12 boys and their football coach were rescued from a flooded cave last week, thousands of stateless people live trapped between countries with no access to some basic rights. All of the boys and their 25-year-old coach, who make up the ‘Wild Boars’ soccer team, will be discharged from hospital next week following a three-day rescue that evoked international relief and joy. Although the Wild Boars are now viewed in this Southeast Asian country as national treasures, four of them are technically stateless.