Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing pink ID cards here in Thailand. What are Pink ID cards? Well I've done a number of videos in the past; I’ll put links in the description below to those videos along with transcripts. The long story short, there's a Thai ID card which is blue - for example if you are a Thai National either born Thai or naturalized to Thai - you'll carry a blue Thai National ID card. Foreigners are not necessarily granted any type of ID but that said, it is possible for foreign nationals to get a Pink ID card and depending on your nationality and the circumstances surrounding it, there are different rules regarding such matters. I'm making a video contemporaneously with this one where we discuss Yellow House Books and the interaction between Yellow House Books and Pink ID cards for Farang. In this video we are discussing Pink ID cards more generally sort of across the board and the changes associated with one specific group pertaining to Pink ID cards. 

That said, I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that's pattayamail.com, the article is titled: In a surprise move Thailand ends compulsory deportation of Myanmar illegals. Quoting directly: "The Thai Government has at long last begun the issuing of official identification cards to Myanmar economic migrants even if they entered illegally." I have to say, I don't love the concept of "illegal immigration" to begin with because watching what's going on back in my country of birth, back in the United States of America, with the just insanely open border and what can only be described as truly an invasion and in any demographic sense that's what we are talking about; we are talking about an invasion of the United States. I worry that Thailand may succumb to the same problem. Now that said, Thailand is in a qualitatively different position from that of the United States and in fact, the situation over in Myanmar, what is going on over there, it puts pressure on Thailand especially with regard to all of these refugees - basically refugees, migrants, whatever you want to call them - trying to come over the border. Now the difference being here where in the United States there's just this kind of free-for-all going on and they will say well you can get temporary protected status and things like this, this is for all nationals that are coming in to the United States; it really is a free-for-all. Here in Thailand this rule is being changed only pertaining to those nationals of Myanmar and as we'll get to, there is proof requirements and some things like that. So it's not quite an apples to apples comparison, but large movements of foreign nationals into Thailand is definitely something you're going to want to keep a close eye on. Quoting further: "In the past, hundreds of thousands of such workers and their families have been deported and dumped en masse to the Myanmar border where they were subject to reprisals from the ruling junta and often forced into the army to fight the raging insurgency." Now, again I'm not as familiar with the underlying facts, I am going to go ahead and defer to Pattaya Mail on this one, but again I'm not sure that that's every case.  But yeah there have been problems in Myanmar, there is no doubt about that. Thailand has tried to deal with it as best they can under the circumstances, but I don't think anybody would say that this is an optimal situation.

That said, quoting further: "The Ministry of Labour says that are about 2.5 million Myanmar workers employed legally in Thailand, with perhaps twice that number working without adequate documentation. Immigrant labour is essential for large sectors of the Thai economy.." and that is a good point. Very different for example from the United States. Here in Thailand, yeah there is a need for skilled and unskilled labour and "migrants" whatever you want to call them, immigrants, migrants, refugees, invaders - I think invaders is a too strong word in this context - but again they do fill a gap in the labour market here in Thailand, of that there is no doubt. Quoting again: "Immigrant labour is essential for large sectors of the Thai economy including fisheries, factories, construction and retail. The pink card, once issued, covers holders for some basic human rights and the right to hospital treatment via Thailand's social security system." So again, they have to issue this pink card.

I urge those who are watching this video go check out that article in detail. They go into some details about the fact that these folks do have to present some level of identification in order to be able to be issued a pink ID card. So again very different from the United States where it's a free-for-all, here in Thailand they are requesting or they are requiring documentation of some kind, proving up one’s identity, be it a passport, be it a birth certificate, some other type of documentation pertaining to one's personal identity in order to have a Pink Card issued here in the Kingdom of Thailand.