Mong Thongdee comes third in contest

Born in Thailand to a Burmese couple, Mong has no nationality.

Although he is allowed to attend a Thai school, it has been very difficult for the 12yearold boy to get a passport.

Mong was invited to participate in the paper airplane competition in Japan after he became the champion of a contest in Thailand.

However, he almost lost the opportunity to fly to Japan because the authorities here were initially very reluctant to issue him the muchneeded document on the grounds that he was not a Thai national.

It was only after his case was highlighted by the media did Mong finally obtain a Thai passport.

During the competition in Japan, Mong won the third prize in the individual category and the first prize in the threemember team category.