1 - Neither a Thai Nor an Alien: The Liminal Identity of the 'Ten-year Card' Holders in Thailand

Thailand’s national identity governing regime is notoriously contradictory. Access to citizenship is heavily guarded in the name of national security which has effectively left hundreds of thousands of Thailand-born children without any protection pending their parents’ legal status verification. Despite several amendments to the citizenship law, draconian articles for limiting citizenship remain, causing the lack of citizenship across generations. Meanwhile, identification cards in various forms and colors have been issued for over nineteen ethnic minority groups. 
The ethnic minority identity card regime has laid the ground for a widespread ‘identity card economy.’ In particular, the ‘ten-year card’ (bat-sip-pee in Thai) which permits lawful residency for ten years before renewal has turned into the most sought-after ‘commodity’. Officially known as the ‘card for people without registration status’, it was initially issued for non-Thai alien residents identified by the survey during the period of 2005-2008. Authorities also refer to the card as ‘the card with the initial zero number’ because the 13-digit number on the card starts with the number zero (0). The original purpose of creation and survey record notwithstanding, the ‘ten-year card’ has since become widely known and most sought after by a variety of people – from migrants and their children to cross-border students and activists from neighboring countries. This paper investigates ways in which the ‘ten-year card’ has become a strategic tool for transforming its holder’s identity to be in the liminality -neither a Thai nor an alien, to access education or to live legally in the country.