SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA TABLE 63 Status of Accession of International Human Rights Treaties in Southeast Asia Country Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Indonesia Lao People’s Democratic Republic v Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Timor-Leste Vietnam Total ✅ ⛔ Stateless 1 ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ✅ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ 1 Stateless 2 ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ✅ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ Refugee 1 ⛔ ✅ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ⛔ ✅ ⛔ ⛔ ✅ ⛔ 3 Signifies that the country is a party to the convention Signifies that the country is not a party to the convention leaves Malaysia with minimal to no relevant international treaty-based obligations to protect or uphold a person’s right to nationality. Eight of the eleven States in the sub-region are parties to ICESCR (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, TimorLeste, and Viet Nam) and seven States have acceded to ICCPR (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam).2449 Six States (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam) are also all parties to ICERD. The Philippines represents a model for progressive legislation towards the prevention of statelessness in the Southeast Asia subregion. Principally, the Philippines is the only State in Southeast Asia, which is party to either of the Stateless Conventions, having ratified both the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions.2450 The country also defines a stateless person as “a person who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law” in its Rule on Facilitated Naturalization of Refugees and Stateless 220 ICCPR ⛔ ✅ ✅ ✅ ⛔ ⛔ ✅ ⛔ ✅ ✅ ✅ 7 ICESCR ⛔ ✅ ✅ ✅ ⛔ ✅ ✅ ⛔ ✅ ✅ ✅ 8 ICERD ⛔ ✅ ✅ ✅ ⛔ ⛔ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ 8 CRC ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ 11 CEDAW ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ 11 Stateless 1 - 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons Stateless 2 - 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness Persons, which is directly aligned with the definition included in the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons.2451 It is also the only country in the entire Asia-Pacific region to have implemented a statelessness determination procedure, which it established in 2012.2452 The Philippines also notably introduced a National Action Plan to End Statelessness in 2015 based on UNHCR’s Global Action Plan to End Statelessness.2453 Thailand and Viet Nam have also made notable strides towards ending statelessness in their territories. Over the past decade, the Thai government has worked in partnership with UNHCR and NGOs to both expand the rights of non-citizens and to identify and provide access to citizenship for those children entitled to it. Between October 2020 and September 2021, 2,740 stateless persons were granted citizenship.2454 Because of the exemplary work of the Thai government in identifying stateless persons, the figures of statelessness in Thailand have increased in the last five years from The Philippines represents a model for progressive legislation towards the prevention of statelessness in the Southeast Asia subregion. STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC (DETAILED VERSION) Based on statistics reported to UNHCR, Southeast Asia as a sub-region hosts the largest number of persons affected by statelessness, collectively reporting over 1.4 million stateless persons. 443,862 in 2015 to 574,219 in 2022.2455 Vietnam too has made significant strides towards ending statelessness by amending laws that provide for a simplified naturalization process as well as an option to reacquire Vietnamese citizenship after renunciation.2456 represents the estimate of UNHCR of the number of stateless Rohingyas both in Rakhine state and those that are internally displaced.2460 Population Reported stateless persons Ethnic minority groups in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam also face protracted and intergenerational statelessness.2461 With the largest of these populations including 574,219 people in Thailand (largely comprised of members of the ‘Hill Tribe’ communities), 75,000 persons of Vietnamese ethnicity in Cambodia, a population of 26,811 people in Viet Nam (including members of the Hmong community and people of Cambodian heritage) and over 20,000 persons of Chinese heritage in Brunei. 2462 The entirety of this reported population in Indonesia consists of stateless Rohingya refugees.2463 UNHCR also noted that there is a potentially large number of unreported non-displaced statelesspersons in Indonesiawhich there is currently no reliable data on.2464 Based on statistics reported to UNHCR, Southeast Asia as a sub-region hosts the largest number of persons affected by statelessness, collectively reporting over 1.4 million stateless persons.2457 All countries apart from Laos and Timor-Leste have reported figures on stateless persons in 2022 to UNHCR.2458 Most identified stateless populations within Southeast Asia consists of in situ ethnic minority groups who have experienced protracted and intergenerational statelessness. Myanmar has the largest reported stateless population, reporting 630,000 stateless persons to UNHCR in 2022.2459 UNHCR notes that the figure of 630,000 persons TABLE 64 Reported stateless population in Southeast Asia 2019 (year start)2465 2020 (year end)2466 2021 (year end)2467 2022 (year end)2468 Brunei Darussalam 20,863 20,863 20,863 20,863 Cambodia 57,444 57,444 75,000 75,000 Indonesia 582 874 641 925 Lao People’s Democratic Republic – – – – Malaysia 108,332 111,289 112,420 115,169 Myanmar 600,000 600,000 600,000 630,000 Philippines 383 387 260 267 Singapore 1,303 1,109 1,109 1,109 Country Thailand 475,009 480,695 561,527 574,219 Timor-Leste – – – – Vietnam 30,581 32,890 35,475 26,811 TOTALS 1,294,497 1,305,551 1,407,295 1,444,363 Source: UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement from 2019-2022 REPORT 2024 221