Many foreigners change their nationality to Lao: more than half are Chinese and Vietnamese !

samakomlao · Guru

Many foreigners change their nationality to Lao: more than half are Chinese and Vietnamese !

Date: Sep 27, 2007

thats not actually very many at all. Seriously, it is less than 50 people. If Laos wants to encourage more educated foreigners to become citizens so they can invest in Laos more permanently then they should allow 'dual citizenship' (allow people to have more than one nationality) which is a very modern and successful policy and is suited to Laos because of the large Lao population in other countries. Why only allow one nationality? Its a silly Cold War policy.

Date: Sep 27, 2007

my Japanese friend has both Japanese and American passport.
so cool.

paris_vientiane · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
thats not actually very many at all. Seriously, it is less than 50 people. If Laos wants to encourage more educated foreigners to become citizens so they can invest in Laos more permanently then they should allow 'dual citizenship' (allow people to have more than one nationality) which is a very modern and successful policy and is suited to Laos because of the large Lao population in other countries. Why only allow one nationality? Its a silly Cold War policy.

I absouloutly agree!
Seeing some "foreigners" adopt Lao nationality is a good thing, this mean Laos is attractive for them, so mean it's a good country.

I just hope they don't do it only to get financial benefits but also because they appreciate Lao culture and values.

I agree if the rules are strong to get Lao (or any other country) nationality: this should be reserved to people who really know and share something strong with the country! But i also think double nationality is something very important, because nowadays more and more people share their life between 2 countries and sincerely love the 2 countries... so they should be able to get both nationality. If one day i go to live in Laos, i hope after a few years there i can get lao nationality, but i don't want to loose my french nationality because it's part of myself for life.

About my lao wife, it's a pitty she cannot ask for french nationality (now we live in France) if she don't want to loose her lao nationality: she didn't escape her country, didn't feel anything wrong about Laos, didn't reject anything : she just follow me for love (and maybe better life). So she don't have any reason to accept loosing her lao nationality, so she cannot get french one... even after many years in France and sharing many french values (anyway, for now, one year, it's too early for that.... but in a few years????)

And what about our future children? French father, Lao mother? Why they would have to choose if they like both of their "origin" countries (and for sure we will educate them in that way)? For them, the possibility to get both french and lao nationality will be very important.

This don't mean Laos should accept Lao nationality to everyone... the rules have to be very strict to protect the countries form people who are ready to do everything just for money... i think for this the current law is OK. But this mean accepting that choose a nationality should not force the person to reject his/her old nationality, because now people exchange and share between coutries, and don't always fight as before.

-- Edited by paris_vientiane at 21:03, 2007-09-27

Date: Sep 27, 2007

Sabaidee

I used to talk about Dual Citizenship long ago, Cambodia has this policy. In Australia where I settle down now, there are people around the world who come to live here legally, Australia has policy called Naturalisation, it means after certain years a person (migrant or refugee) can apply for australian citizenship.
Lao should do the same, encourage all people who live in Lao to become a lao citizen. It's will do good for Lao. No doubt.

All people who were born in Lao no matter where they live they should be able to have Dual Citizenship that will benefit Lao 100% in many ways. Why Cambodia can do it? Can't LAO do it?

Date: Sep 28, 2007

Talking about a dual citizenship, it seems to be good to some extent. However, I feel it would be more harm than good, especially in this time when some people still want do bad thing for Laos and Lao people as a whole. Some of you may argue that you are the good people and love Laos. But then nobody can guarantee that the bad people may want to have the dual citizenship too so that they can do whatever they want in Laos.
In my opinion, no need to allow people to have a dual citizenship as it would make a stuation in Laos worsen, on the one hand. On the other hand, in most country around the world the dual citizenship is not allowed too, not only in Laos.
For the foreign Lao people who still love Laos, they can come any time to visit or do business in Laos and nobody will force them out as long as they respect Lao law. No doubt.
To explain more simple. I would say for our country, having a dual citizenship would not be different with having two wives, if not two husbans, imagine how hard to cope with this situation?

Regards

paris_vientiane · Guru

you mix 2 different problems: dual citizenships, and conditions to get lao nationality
accepting dual citizenship don't mean reduce the conditions to get the lao nationality

you can allow dual citizenship, this don't mean give easily the lao nationality.

Moreover, with dual nationality, if someone got the lao citizenship and don't respect Lao values and people , you can maybe imagine a law that allow authorities to remove lao nationality to this person.... impossible if he/she have only one nationality.

chiip · Guru

Well, let`s look closer at this question, in case I had two passports, one cambodian national
and another one vietnamese national... One fine day, the two countries are in war, which side shall I belong to and with which side shall I fight with ?... I will be like a snake with two heads, so, I prefer people with unique national, so , unique passport...I praise people who love lao and don`t have any objection about changing their original nationality to lao but , please, keep only one nationality, it is largely enough and lao people will love you more !
regards.

paris_vientiane · Guru

chiip wrote:

I will be like a snake with two heads,

If such a bad thing happen, and if you consider you really have to choose (because reject this situation and refuse to choose can also be a solution), you can decide to cut one of your two heads.

This problem is not a problem of nationality: if two countries you love fall in war, you'll have the same problem/questions... whatever you have one or two nationality.

Don't think with a WAR point of view... but think with a PEACE

point of view...
1- because it's positive
2- because Peace have more chance to develop than war... there are less and less war in the world and that's a very good point. Zero risk never exist... no one can be sure about the future, new wars will still appear in the next years, but the risk of war reduce year after year for most of the countries in the world.

For people who live in peace and exchange more and more between countries, force them to choose only one nationality is a nonsense.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

Yes, we love one wife or one husband policy, and one citizenship as well. That's our Lao culture.

paris_vientiane · Guru

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, we love one wife or one husband policy, and one citizenship as well. That's our Lao culture.

oh, really? interesting! So , for you, what is a lao person who love 2 or more countries? a traitor? an underclass person? a peace of rubbish? something that just cannot exist?

I can understand your point of view if you consider a person like me (french loving Laos) or my wife (lao living with me in France)... this don't mean i agree with you... but i can understand.

But what about the children we can have me and my wife? Force them to choose is absoloutly a NONSENSE! They will be half french, half lao, in their blood, will be educated with the 2 cultures, so they be half french-half lao in their heart. Maybe they will live for a few years in one of the countries, and then move to the other, and then back to the first one.... just because it would be their life, their culture, their nature... Why would they choose one of the two nationality and not the other? That's stupid! It's impossible for them to choose with their heart... will you force them to choose with a dice? For them, the possibility to choose to have both nationality will be the only acceptable solution.

-- Edited by paris_vientiane at 20:07, 2007-09-28

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Laos should has a clear direction in this policy, some countries they need good education of their cittizent so they will allow only post graduate to get its nationality, Or some special zone in some country need big investment then allowing only rich people to get its nationality ( ex: you have to invest in the zone at laest >= 500.000 USD ) something like this