SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA Sub-Regional Overview: Southeast Asia Countries Covered: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam Laws Citizenship Law All the eleven countries in this sub-region operate through a jus sanguinis structure with Cambodia allowing jus soli citizenship and Thailand allowing conditional acquisition of jus soli citizenship.302 The citizenship laws of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste operate through a solely jus sanguinis structure and provide that children born to a citizen parent within or outside of the country can gain citizenship without distinction.303 Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam have separate citizenship acquisition provisions for persons born within and outside of the country,304 meaning that while jus sanguinis in operation jus soli principles have some effect. Of particular note, the citizenship law of Malaysia does not allow women to confer their nationality to their children if they are born outside of the territory of Malaysia.305 The laws of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines (for naturalized women only), Thailand and Singapore limit the ability of married women to confer their nationality onto foreign spouses on the same basis as men.307 The citizenship law of Singapore also limits the ability of mothers to confer citizenship onto children born in the state whose “…fathers are diplomats or members of foreign forces during times of war.”306 54 55 STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC REPORT 2023