folding stuff

burma; thailand; japan - an exotic threesome, bound together in a recent story with a sweet sounding top layer, but a bitter taste at the centre.

A Thai origami contest this year was won by a twelve year old boy whose plane stayed aloft for twelve seconds (or for a more dubious twelve minutes, according to some reports). Victory has brought entry to a prestigious Origami Airplane competition in Japan, but unfortunately the boy did not have the papers necessary to re-enter Thailand if once he left.

How so, given that he was born in the kingdom? Because his parents are Burmese migrants with only temporary permission to live and work in Thailand, so that their son is only a temporary resident.

Apparently there are half a million people in this situation in Thailand, effectively stateless, many of whom feature on a list of those who will be considered for 'repatriation' to Burma in February 2010.

The sweetener to this sorry tale is that following something of a national outcry the young champion has been granted a temporary one-use permit that will enable him to travel to the competition in Japan later this month. After which he will revert to his current status.