The ceremony was held at Maechanwittayakhom School in tambon Pa Sang of Mae Chan district on Saturday (June 28), reports the Bangkok Post.
The move followed a Cabinet resolution cutting the citizenship application process to just five days, a stark contrast to previous lengthy procedures.
This initiative targets individuals who immigrated to Thailand before 1999 and have registered their histories, as well as their children born in Thailand, totalling over 480,000 individuals.
Chiang Rai governor Charin Thongsuk said the province has the highest number of ethnic residents benefiting from this initiative, with 95,391 individuals set to be granted citizenship today.
Fon Woi Je, member of the Akha ethnic group and one of the 21 representatives receiving ID cards from Ms Paetongtarn, expressed deep gratitude to the prime minister, the cabinet and the Ministry of Interior for streamlining the citizenship application process.
She pledged the ethnic groups will contribute to national development in return for this opportunity.
Ms Paetongtarn conveyed her delight and honour at the opportunity to meet everyone, and also praised efforts made by former prime minister Srettha Thavisin to speed up the process.
“The promise made during Mr Srettha’s tenure will become a reality on June 30.
“In a few days, everyone will equally and honourably become Thai citizens and be able to live their lives to the full,” said Ms Paetongtarn.