ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the changing citizenship status of residents of vulnerable groups along the Thai-Myanmar border. Nationality is a legal status which defines a person's membership of a nation. It refers to the relationship between a state and an individual usually in terms of rights and obligations. The social aspects of citizenship are further elaborated which shapes the distribution of resources according to the pattern of power and social class. There exist two different principles in determining a person's citizenship at birth, namely jus soli and jus sanguinis. The chapter describes de facto stateless minority groups residing in Sangkhlaburi on Thai–Myanmar border. Sangkhlaburi is located in Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand. In recent years, border economic zones (BEZs) have been set up along Thai–Myanmar border. The Thai government defines highland communities as those settlements located more than 500 metres above sea level. Some indigenous minorities are found in both highland and mainly lowland central plains of Thailand, such as Thai Mon.
