Panda prize winner faces travel hurdle

       A prize winner in the contest to name the Chiang Mai panda cub Lhinping says she is being denied permission to travel to China as part of her prize because she is not a Thai citizen.
       Naruay Jaterng,14, who was a third place winner in the contest, said her parents were from a hill tribe in a remote village in Mae Ai district in Chiang Mai.
       They were about 12km from the district administration office and had found it impossible to go there to register her when she was born, which meant she had been stateless since birth. A stateless person's identity card is the only documentation she has to prove her identity.
       Naruay said her parents were descendents of tribal people granted Thai citizenship.
       She was one of millions who entered the naming contest organised by Chiang Mai Zoo using postcards. Her name was drawn as the third prize winner which earned her 100,000 baht in cash and an air ticket to China's Chengdu city for four days and three nights from Nov 15-18.
       Naruay's stateless plight echoes the difficulties faced by Mong Thongdee,the 12-year-old Shan boy who was initially denied permission to travel overseas. Mong's dream of going to Japan for a paper plane competition was finally realised when he was granted a 90-day visa on Wednesday.
       An official letter of permission to travel outside Chiang Mai for seven days helped Naruay go to Bangkok to collect her prize on Monday. Although her birth could still be registered, it could take up to a year to get the birth certificate that is needed to apply for a passport, meaning she would miss out on the trip.
       Zoological Park Organisation director Sophon Damnui said he was shocked by the news, but said she would receive cash equal to the value of the prize if she could not go to China.
       Chiang Mai deputy governor Pairoj Saengpuwong said Article 23 of the Nationality Act held the answer to Naruay's problem. Under the act, overseas travel was no problem if those without Thai citizenship had the status of highlanders. Permission was possible if authentic identity documents were produced. Naruay's parents are acknowledged as highlanders in Thailand.