Displaced people living in Thailand’s southern province of Ranong have submitted a petition to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin voicing their opposition to the government’s land bridge mega project and demanding acceleration of the issuance of Thai ID cards for them.

The petition was submitted to the prime minister by Mathom Sinsuwan, a representative of the Thai displaced people living in Ratchakrut sub-district of Ranong, during his visit to this southern border province on Monday.

Mathom said that the project, which involves the construction of a deep-sea port in Ao Ang in Ratchakrut sub-district, will seriously impact the livelihoods of the people there, who are mostly fisher folk.

She explained that the people there, who are mostly displaced Thais who do not have Thai ID cards, are practically unable to work elsewhere without facing arrest and, therefore, have to work in fishing as their only choice.

The private sector and many other people in Ranong are, however, supportive of the project, believing that it will boost the local economy.

The displaced Thai people in Ranong used to live in Dawei, Myeik and Tanintharyi in Myanmar, which were part of Siamese territory before being annexed by the British in 1868. These people did not leave their homeland until after Myanmar gained independence from the British Empire in 1948.

Since these people do not speak Burmese, but a southern dialect, they were not treated as Burmese and were persecuted by the Myanmar military junta, forcing many of them to seek refuge in Ranong and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces, which border Myanmar.

They have not been treated as Thai nationals either by successive Thai governments.