The Cabinet has endorsed, in principle, the criteria for screening aliens who are requesting protected status. This will benefit people who are unable or unwilling to return to their countries of origin due to potential harm.
Prime Minister’s Office deputy spokesperson Trisulee Trisaranakul revealed the criterion and consideration process for the protected person status has been established. The person requesting the status must not have Thai citizenship or permanent residence in Thailand. Alternatively, the person may be an individual who entered the kingdom and is unable or unwilling to return to his or her own state. A request might also be made by a stateless person who is unable or unwilling to return to the state where they have permanent residence. Reasons for not returning to the originating state include credible risks of being harmed upon return. The person requesting protected status must not belong to groups of individuals who are accommodated by specific Ministry of Interior protocols. The person must also not be a migrant worker from Myanmar, Laos, or Cambodia who is accommodated by specific mechanisms.
To qualify for protection, there must be credible reasons to believe the person may be harmed upon returning to their original state. Said harms include physical attacks, threats to life or freedom, torture, enforced disappearance, or other severe human rights violations. The person must not have previously been deemed as not requiring international protection. In cases of stateless persons, the requestor must be unable or unwilling to return to the state wherein they have permanent residence.
The person requesting protection also needs to have their history and police record checked. He or she must also possess a doctor’s certificate confirming the absence of forbidden diseases.
According to Ms. Trisulee, the relevant agencies have endorsed these criteria in principle. (NNT)
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