A community marked for death

Opinion »

A community marked for death

Published on June 20, 2011

Re: “Ahmadiya people are safe in Pakistan” June 18, 2011

As a mainstream Pakistani Muslim I was shocked to read the rebuttal put forward by the Department of Consular Affairs, Embassy of Pakistan. They conveniently ignored the fact that Pakistan is the only state which has officially declared the Ahmadiya community as non-Muslims. Their freedom of religion has been curtailed through many ordinances, acts and constitutional amendments by myopic dictators like General Zia ul Haq and later right-wing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

On April 16, 1984, General Zia-ul-Haq, the former dictator (also the worst thing to have ever happened to Pakistan), issued the anti-Ahmadiya Ordinance, which effectively prohibited Ahmadis from preaching or professing their beliefs. The ordinance, which was supposed to prevent “anti-Islamic activities,” forbids Ahmadis from calling themselves Muslim or to “pose as Muslims”. This means that they are not allowed to profess the Islamic creed publicly or call their places of worship mosques.

Pray tell, where is the ‘freedom of religion’?

As a result of these black laws, which are completely against the wishes of the secular founder of the country Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Ahmadiya community, is threatened and hate-related literature is spread by fundamentalist religious groups to which Pakistan is no stranger.

Just last week a rights organisation said it feared large-scale targeted killings of Ahmadis in Faisalabad after pamphlets labelling members of the Ahmadiyya community “Wajibul Qatl” (‘liable to be murdered’), and inciting people to publicly attack followers of the faith, were openly and widely circulated in the city.

Living in denial will only worsen the already dreadful situation in the country.

Ahsan Arif Awan
Assumption University

URL: www.nationmultimedia.com/home/A-community...

Embassy should have remained silent instead of lying

Opinion »

Embassy should have remained silent instead of lying

Published on June 20, 2011

Re: “Ahmadiya people are safe in Pakistan” June 18, 2011

I understand that it is the job of embassy staff to defend their country in foreign lands. However, there should be some decency to avoid complete fabrication of truth.

The Department of Consular Affairs, Embassy of Pakistan has the audacity to claim that lives of Ahmadi Muslims is not in mortal danger, and there is no persecution at state level of the Ahmadiya Muslim community.

Nothing could be further from the truth. A simple search on Google will list reports from the US, EU, UN and Asian human rights organisations that clearly document persecution faced by Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan on a daily basis.

The embassy should try to tell about the safety in Pakistan to widows and orphans of Ahmadis who were massacred in their own mosques. What will the embassy say to the old parents who had to bury their sons killed for being an Ahmadi Muslim?

Even as I write this letter, leaflets and posters are all being distributed in Faisalabad (one of the largest cities in Pakistan) that openly encourage Pakistanis to “kill all Ahmadis” in order to receive their high station in paradise. Is this the definition of Pakistan as a safe heaven for Ahmadis?

It is the state law that declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims thus encouraging killing of Ahmadis as apostates. If this was not enough, special ordinance was passed to ensure that any act of an Ahmadi Muslim to practise his or her faith becomes blasphemous in the eyes of the law.

In a country where a provincial governor and a minister of the state were killed in broad daylight for speaking against the blasphemy law, I am astonished how the counsellor affairs can sing songs about the safety of Ahmadi Muslims.

Shame on the Consular Affairs, it would have better to keep quiet!

Farhan Khokhar
Ontario, Canada

URL: www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Embassy...30158206.html

Thailand releases Pakistani refugees on bail

Breaking News »

Thailand releases Pakistani refugees on bail

05 June 2011

Thai immigration police Monday released on bail 96 Pakistani refugees of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community who had been detained for nearly six months.

“Today is our day of freedom,” said Mehmood, one of the released Pakistanis. “We thank God.”

The group was detained in December after arriving from Pakistan to seek resettlement abroad with the help of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which has a regional office in Bangkok.

The group claimed political persecution in Pakistan.

Among those released on bail were 34 children under the age of 12, and one infant who was born while his mother was detained.

Their release was made possible by the Thai Committee for Refugees, a non-governmental organisation that put up a 5-million-baht (166,666-dollar) bond for the refugees, who will be housed in Bangkok while waiting for the UNHCR to process the resettlement applications.

“We are glad to see Thai society rallying to protect refugees, who - having fled persecution in their homelands - are among the most vulnerable people in this country,” said James Lynch, UNHCR’s representative for Thailand.

“The UN refugee agency believes no refugee should be locked up simply for being a refugee,” he added.//DPA

URL: www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Thailand...30157111.html

International community must intervene for the release of 85 Ahmadi refugees mistreated in Thailand

Asian Human Rights Commission — Statement

PAKISTAN/THAILAND: International community must intervene for the release of 85 Ahmadi refugees mistreated in Thailand

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AHRC-STM-019-2011
January 31, 2011

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

PAKISTAN/THAILAND: International community must intervene for the release of 85 Ahmadi refugees mistreated in Thailand

A group of 85 persons have been in detention in Bangkok since December 14, 2010 despite the fact that they are already registered as asylum seekers with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok. Of the 85 persons, 17 of them have reportedly had their applications accepted and have been granted refugee status. The group includes 38 women and girls, among whom there is at least one pregnant woman. It also includes at least 38 children, including 26 aged under 10 years. There is also a number of babies and elderly one of whom is 60 and is suffering high blood pressure and another person with a heart condition.…

The group belongs to the Ahmadiya community who fled from Pakistan to take shelter in Bangkok, Thailand, after undergoing continuous persecution and killings, particularly after the attacks of Muslim extremists on their two Mosques in May 2010 in which more than 100 persons were killed. They left their country to register as refugees with the UNHCR and seek asylum.

Sadly instead of the compassion and humanitarian assistance they urgently need they have instead suffered serious violations of their human rights. This may be seen in the treatment of those in the detention centre. The hygiene and sanitation conditions are appalling. Medical and nutrition facilities are almost non-existent. The detainees are being fed by the local Thai community and the sick children have little medical care. Women have been assaulted and the one who was pregnant was taken to hospital for delivery in handcuffs and heavy chains and kept in such restraint throughout her delivery. On return to the detention centre she was kept in chains and locked up in a toilet for a whole night.

They were all genuine refugees as defined in the UNHCR 1951 convention. They also had the right to flee to another country under article 14 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights. On registration they were all issued with a protection certificate as a proof of identity for the Thai Government to allow them to remain in the country until their asylum application was determined. However, in total disregard of the UNHCR convention and the international Code of Conduct, the Thai Police raided the lodgings of the refugees and arrested them, heavily fining them for overstaying in the country. Following this they were placed in a detention centre indefinitely.

It is extremely perturbing that the Thai government took this action against the members of a law abiding peaceful community who had fled from Pakistan where they were constantly being prosecuted under the blasphemy laws, the mandatory punishment for which is death.

All those arrested possessed protection certificates issued by the UNHCR which were supposed to be honoured by the Thai Government, even if it is not a signatory to the UNHCR 1951 convention. It is a situation that needs to be taken up seriously with the Thai government by the world community. How can the Thai Government, as a full member of the UN and the current president of the UNHRC, fail to cooperate with, support and honour the work of a UN organisation it has allowed to operate from its country.

The Asian Human Rights Commission is appalled by this situation urges the chairperson of United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the Swedish Parliament and the European Union to raise the issue with the Government of Thailand and take appropriate action for the immediate release and care of the detainees in Bangkok.

# # #

About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

URL: www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2011statements/3062

Premeditated murders: Ahmadis concerned over state inaction

Pakistan Punjab

Premeditated murders: Ahmadis concerned over state inaction

Rana Tanveer
December 30, 2010

Community condemns murder of man, the fourth in his family to be shot dead this year.

LAHORE: The government has failed to provide adequate protection to Ahmadis, members of the Ahmadiyya community said while expressing concern over the killing of a man in Mardan on December 23.

The man, who was expecting the birth of his first child soon, was the fourth in his family to be killed in this manner this year.

Talking to The Express Tribune on Wednesday, members of the community criticised the government and said that they were targets of a deliberate ‘divinely-sanctioned’ reprisal campaign.

Sheikh Omar Javed was killed on December 23 in Mardan. According to a statement issued by the community, Javed was returning home from work with his father and cousin when assailants on a motorbike ambushed them.

Javed, sitting in the back of their family car, died after sustaining bullets in his head and chest. His father and a cousin were also injured.

The handout said that the assailants, having fired about 17 or 18 bullets, fled the crime scene. The condition of Javed’s father and cousin is said to be stable.

Javed’s widow is expecting their first child, the press release said.

The statement recalled that one of Javed’s cousins, Sheikh Amir Raza, was killed in a suicide bombing on an Ahmadiyya place of worship in Mardan on September 3 this year. His father-in-law, Sheikh Mahmud Ahmad and one of his uncles were killed on November 8, the press release said.

The handout recalled that another member of his family was also killed in 1974, the year in which Ahmadis were declared non-Muslim in Pakistan.

Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the head of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, said that despite numerous killings that have befallen this family, they continue to bear difficulties with bravery and patience.

Jamaat spokesperson Saleemuddin said that Ahmadis were being threatened all over the country. He said that it appeared that the government was not serious in protecting the life and property of Ahmadis.

Appealing to the government to provide proper protection to the members of his community, he said that despite official inaction and silence over innumerable excesses, they continue to bear losses of lives all over the country with patience.

Munawar Ali Shahid, a member of the community, said that it was impossible for them to even mention that they were Ahmadis in public. According to him, just introducing oneself as an Ahmadi was enough to attract criticism and public isolation.

He said that because of a deliberate hate campaign initiated by some radical clerics, Ahmadis were considered not even worthy of staying alive.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2010.

URL: http://tribune.com.pk/story/96675/premeditated-...-inaction/

Rights groups’ concern over Thailand asylum arrests

Rights groups’ concern over Thailand asylum arrests

Wed, Dec 22, 2010
AFP

BANGKOK - An elderly Chinese dissident and more than 30 children are among a host of refugees and asylum seekers arrested and detained by Thai immigration authorities, rights groups said Wednesday.

Journalist and activist Sun Shucai, 87, “is not getting enough food” in the Bangkok detention centre where he is being held, according to media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders.

“We are very concerned about Sun’s health as the conditions in the detention centre are poor. We fear that a man his age may not be able to endure this ordeal,” the group said in a statement.

Sun, who served 14 years of hard labour in eastern China for writing critical articles, was arrested on December 8 despite holding papers from the UN saying his application for refugee status was under consideration, it added.

Reporters Without Borders said a judge fined the dissident 3,000 Baht (100 dollars) the day after his arrest and ordered the authorities to examine the possibility of deporting him.

Concerns about him came as rights organisations raised fears over the detention of 86 people of Pakistani origin who were arrested on December 14.

A statement from 26 rights groups sent by the Asian Human Rights Commission said they were “deeply concerned and shocked” by the detention of the group, which they said included more than 30 children.

The groups believe that almost all the detainees are either recognised as refugees or are awaiting confirmation of their status.

According to the statement all those arrested are Ahmadiyya Muslims, a group subject to “systematic persecution” in Pakistan.

“This targeted detention by Thai officials of a particular community from their homes is particularly concerning and disturbing,” the rights groups said.

Thai immigration authorities and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Bangkok were both unavailable for comment.

Reporters Without Borders said Sun had a long history of political activism and was sentenced to 14 years in 1956 for criticising China’s Maoist revolution.

Once freed he was assigned to work in metallurgical plant, but he resumed his dissident activity in 1998, writing articles critical of the ruling Communist Party.

“Sun’s only crime is to have sought refuge in a safe place because his defence of human rights was exposing him to reprisals in China,” the group said.

©2010 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn. No. 198402868E. All rights reserved

URL: http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Asia/Story/A1Story20101222-254268.html

PAKISTAN: Statement of concern on the detention of refugees and asylum seekers of Pakistani origin in Thailand

Asian Human Rights Commission — Statement

PAKISTAN: Statement of concern on the detention of refugees and asylum seekers of Pakistani origin in Thailand

Dear friends,

We wish to share with you the following statement from 26 Human Rights Organisations.

Asian Human Rights Commission
Hong Kong

___________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AHRC-FST-101-2010
December 22, 2010

A Statement from 26 Human Rights Organisations forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission

PAKISTAN: Statement of concern on the detention of refugees and asylum seekers of Pakistani origin in Thailand

Date: 15/12/2010

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned and shocked at the arrest and detention of 86 refugees and asylum seekers of Pakistani origin in Bangkok. These vulnerable people were arrested from their homes in a dawn raid and taken to the Bangkok Detention Centre.

We have information that indicates that almost all the detainees have either been recognized as refugees by the UNHCR or have registration documents as their cases for Refugee Status Determination is under way. They all belong to the Ahmadiyya faith. The persecution of Ahmadis has been particularly severe and systematic in Pakistan, which is the only state to have officially declared the Ahmadis to be non-Muslims and are persecuted for professing their religion. The systematic persecution of the community in Pakistan is well documented.

This targeted detention by Thai officials of a particular community from their homes is particularly concerning and disturbing.

We have been informed that the detainees include more than 30 children who have been detained along with their parents.

Thailand has been generous and accommodating of those who have sought refuge within its borders. It has been compassionate and understanding of those in need of protection from persecution. These detentions however are a blot on the tolerant and compassionate image of Thailand.

Thailand is the President of the UN Human Rights Council, and it is highly unbecoming of the President of the Human Rights Coucil to sanction a flagrant violation of basic human rights. International human rights standards prohibit arbitrary, indefinite and non-reviewable detention. Refugees and asylum seekers should not be detained or penalized because they were compelled to enter a country irregularly or without proper documentation.

In addition, Thailand, which has signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, must ensure the best interest of all children, that they are protected and are not detained for migration-related purposes in the first instance.

These refugees and asylum seekers are NOT criminals, they need to be protected and not victimised.

We strongly urge the Thai government to reconsider its ill advised action and release the 86 detainees.

We hope the Thai government will adhere to the high standards of compassion and human rights through the unconditional release of the detainees.

Signed by 26 human rights organisations as seen below:

	Name Of organisation	Country
1.	Asylum Access	USA
2.	Asylum Access Thailand	Thailand
3.	Egyptian Foundation for Refugee Rights	Egypt
4.	Fahamu Refugee Programme	UK
5.	Forum Asia	Regional
6.	Glo Foundation	India
7.	Healthy Equity Initiatives	Malaysia
8.	Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre Limited	Hong Kong, China SAR
9.	INHURED International	Nepal
10.	International Detention Coalition	International
11.	Khmer Kampuchaa Krom Human Rights Association (KKKHRA)	Cambodia
12.	Korean Public Interest Lawyers Group GONGGAM	Republic of Korea
13.	Libyan League for Human Rights	Libya
14.	Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service	Unied States of America
15.	Mapendo International	USA
16.	NANCEN	South Korea
17.	New Zealand National Refugee Network	New Zealand
18.	OfERR	India
19.	Peoples Empowerment Foundation	Thailand
20.	PPR Nepal	Nepal
21.	Refugee Council of Australia	Australia
22.	Thai Committee for Refugees (TCR)	Thailand
23.	The Arakan Project	Regional
24.	the National Human Rights Society of Malaysia (HAKAM)	Malysia
25.	The other Media	India
26.	U.S. Committee for Refugees and immigrants (USCRI)	USA

# # #

About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. The above statement has only been forwarded by the AHRC.

URL: www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2010statements/3005/

THAILAND: Officials detain babies, children and pregnant women among asylum seekers

Asian Human Rights Commission — Urgent Appeals

THAILAND: Officials detain babies, children and pregnant women among asylum seekers

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION — URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-182-2010
21 December 2010

THAILAND: Officials detain babies, children and pregnant women among asylum seekers

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission has obtained information that immigration authorities have taken into custody at least 85 persons from Pakistan who are seeking asylum. The group includes babies, small children, pregnant women, and the sick and elderly. The persons have registered with the United Nations for asylum and so far 17 have reportedly been officially recognized as refugees. No reason has been given for their detention; however, it comes at a time that authorities in Thailand are reportedly targeting asylum seekers for forced repatriation, especially to countries in South Asia.

CASE NARRATIVE:

On 14 December 2010, immigration authorities in Thailand raided the residences of a group of at least 85 persons from Pakistan who have been registered as asylum seekers with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok, 17 of whom have reportedly had their applications accepted and have been granted refugee status, and took them into custody at the immigration detention facilities in Bangkok.

The group includes at least 38 women and girls, among whom there is at least one pregnant woman. It also includes at least 38 children, including 26 aged under 10 years, among them a number of babies. And it includes a 60-year old with high blood pressure, and a 53-year old with a heart condition. A list compiled of the detainees is available hereunder:

No.	NAMES	NI No.	AGE	GENDER	HEALTH CONDITION	STATUS
1	Mr. A Sallam Muneer	23351	53 Years	M	Heart Patient	Asylum Seeker
2	Mrs. Ghazala A Sallam	23351	42 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
3	Ms. Maria Sadaf	23351	18 years	F		Asylum Seeker
4	Ms. Asma Hilya	23351	17 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
5	Ms. Tayyaba Bushra	23351	15 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
6	Mr. Mohammad A.Sallam	23351	10 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
7	Mr. Azhar Ahmad Khalid	23451	39 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
8	Mrs. Saima Naureen Azhar	23451	37 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
9	Mr. Hamza Khalid	23451	12 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
10	Mr. Raza Khalid	23451	10 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
11	Mr. Usman Khalid	23451	9 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
12	Mr. Rizwan Khalid	23451	4 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
13	Mr. Rana Haroon Siddique	22781	41 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
14	Mrs. Dilshad Nazil	22781	37 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
15	Mr. Rana Amar Farooq	22781	9 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
16	Mr. Rana Aashir Ahmad	22781	6 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
17	Mr. Umer Sultan	23149	30 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
18	Mrs. Zahida Umer	23149	30 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
19	Mr. Irfan Ul Mulk	23150	26 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
20	Mr. Sakhawat Ali	23627	Aprox 35	M		Refugee
21	Mrs. Sakhawat Ali	23627	30 Years	F		Refugee
22	Son of Sakhawat Ali	23627	7 Years	M		Refugee
23	Daughter of Sakhawat Ali	23627	5 Years	F		Refugee
24	Daughter of Sakhawat Ali	23627	3 Years	F		Refugee
25	Son of Sakhawat Ali	23627	3 Months	M		Refugee
26	Shaikh Tahir Ahmed	22875	60 years	M	B.P Patient	Refugee
27	Mrs. Shaikh Tahir Ahmed	22875	55 Years	M	Asthma Patient	Refugee
28	Mr.Anas Ahmed	22885	25 Years	M		Refugee
29	Ms.Aaina Tahir	22886	23 Years	F		Refugee
30	Daughter of Shaikh Tahir Ahmed	22875	16 Years	F		Refugee
31	Mrs. Mansoora Rizwan	22870	30 Years	F		Refugee
32	Mr. Monis Ahmed	22870	3 Years	M		Refugee
33	Mr. Dr Hafeez Ahmed	23059	45 Years	M		Refugee
34	Mrs. Amtul Rauf	23059	40 Years	F		Refugee
35	Mr. Mubbashir Ahmed	23059	15 Years	M		Refugee
36	Ms. Samreen Ujala	23059	12 years	F		Refugee
37	Mr. Ishtiaq Ahmed	23706	22 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
38	Mr. Ch. Aadil Zia Kahloon	23003	45 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
39	Mrs. Fouzia Aadil	23003	45 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
40	Ms. Tina Aadil	23003	17 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
41	Mr. Sajid Ahmed	23003	16 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
42	Mr. Taymour Aadil	23003	10 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
43	Ms. Saman Aadil	23003	7 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
44	Mr. Munawer Ahmed Cheema	23474	50 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
45	Mrs. Mussawara Jabeen	23474	44 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
46	Mr. Ghazanfar Ahmed Cheema	23475	24 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
47	Mr. Tasawar Ahmed Cheema	23476	26 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
48	Mrs. Amtul Qadoose Faiza	23476	29 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
49	Ms. Amtul Musawar Mahima	23476	4 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
50	Mr. Tahir Mehmood (Ex. Murrabi)	23426	35 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
51	Mrs. Sofia Almas	23426	26 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
52	Mr. Hashir Ahmed Tahir	23426	7 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
53	Mr. Yasir Ahmed Tahir	23426	6 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
54	Mr. Faris Ahmed Tahir	23426	13 Months	M		Asylum Seeker
55	Mr. Khalid Shafiq	23501	34 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
56	Mrs. Samina Shafqat	23501	32 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
57	Ms. Manahal Khalid	23501	9 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
58	Mr. Faiz Ahmed Khalid	23501	6 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
59	Mr. Fahad Khalid	23501	2 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
60	Mr. Adnan Sohail	23324	29 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
61	Mrs. Hina Adnan	23324	29 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
62	Ms. Tashfa Adnan	23324	5 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
63	Ms. Qanta Adnan	23324	3 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
64	Ms. Salmana Adnan	23324	3 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
65	Mr. Ahsan Yaqoob	23677	25 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
66	Mrs. Saba Arooj	23677	20 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
67	Mr. Sadeed Ahmed	23677	10 Months	M		Asylum Seeker
68	Mr. Mohammad Yaqoob	23835	57 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
69	Ms. Razia Sultana	23835	50 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
70	Mr. Nouman Ahmed	23836	19 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
71	Mr. Hanif Ahmed Sindhu	24239	44 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
72	Mrs. Lubna Hanif	24239	33 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
73	Ms. Qurrat ul ain	24239	9 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
74	Mr. Vishal Ahmed	24239	7 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
75	Ms. Alisha Eman	24239	1 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
76	Mr. Jameel Ahmed Arif	24237	34 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
77	Mrs. Aneela Arif	24237	25 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
78	Mr. Mohammad Osaf Ahmed	24238	19 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
79	Mr. Nayyar Ahmed	23915	24 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
80	Mrs. Salma Ghazala	23915	23 Years	F	Expected Delivery	Asylum Seeker
81	Mohammad Iqbal	23815	45 Years	M		Asylum Seeker
82	Mrs. Mohammad Iqbal	23815	40 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
83	Daughter of Mohammad Iqbal	23815	8 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
84	Daughter of Mohammad Iqbal	23815	4 Years	F		Asylum Seeker
85	Son of Mohammad Iqbal	23815	16 Years	M		Asylum Seeker

* NI number means UNHCR ID No.

According to the information that the AHRC has received, the raid was coordinated across a number of locations near Bangkok where the persons had been residing. Despite this, the immigration authorities did not explain why they were taking the group into custody. The raid comes at a time that authorities in Thailand are reportedly hunting for and forcibly repatriating asylum seekers from South Asia, including from Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The detention centre where the group is being held is notoriously overcrowded and unhygienic. According to a recent visitor to the facility, the detainees are being held like “fish in a can” and are not even able to all sit down at the same time.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The members of the group for whom this appeal is being issued are Ahmadiyya Muslims who have sought asylum on the basis that they face religious persecution in Pakistan. Since they applied for asylum in Bangkok they are reported to be living in very difficult conditions, lacking any sources of income and surviving on assistance that was mainly provided by the Jesuit Refugee Service. The people had reportedly been living peaceably, awaiting the outcomes of their applications for asylum, and their detention while the process is ongoing is completely unjustified.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the persons listed below to call for the immediate release of these persons from custody and the respect of their right to seek asylum in Thailand and complete the process that they have begun with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Please be informed that the AHRC is writing separate letters to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the regional human rights office for Southeast Asia concerning these detainees.

To support this appeal, please click here: Send an Appeal Letter

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear ___________,

THAILAND: Immigration Police detain babies, small children and women among group of registered asylum seekers and recognized refugees

Details of victims: At least 85 asylum seekers of Pakistani origin, a list of names and details posted online at: link

Details of alleged perpetrators: Immigration Police Division, Royal Thai Police

Date of incident: 14 December 2010 to present

I am writing to express my alarm at information I have received that Thai Immigration Police have taken into custody at least 85 persons of Pakistani origin who have fled to and have been staying in Bangkok for the purpose only of obtaining asylum and resettlement in third countries, among whom there are many women, small children and infirm people.

According to this information, on 14 December 2010, immigration authorities in Thailand raided the residences of persons from Pakistan who have been registered as asylum seekers with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok, 17 of whom have reportedly had their applications accepted, and have been granted refugee status, and took them into custody at the Immigration Detention Centre at Suanphlu in Bangkok.

The group reportedly includes at least 38 women and girls, among whom there is at least one pregnant woman who is expecting to give birth to her child. It includes 38 children, including 26 aged under 10 years, among them a number of babies. It also includes a 60-year old with high blood pressure, and a 53-year old with a heart condition.

I am aware that the conditions in the detention centre are under normal conditions overcrowded and unhygienic. According to the report of one person who visited the facility recently, detainees are staying like “fish in a can”, and there is not even enough room for everyone to sit at the same time, let alone to lie down or move about at all.

I am appalled to hear that children and young women especially are being held in such circumstances, and am aware that aside from this group there are other women and children being held in the atrocious conditions at this facility: according to a report by a recent visitor to the detention centre, there are at least five women in advanced stages of pregnancy, from Sri Lanka and Pakistan, locked up there at present.

The raids on the residences of the asylum seekers at four locations, namely Prueksa 9, 11 and 12, Klong Sam, Prathumthani; and Sapanmai, Jaralsanitwong and Intamara in Bangkok were coordinated and planned, as the immigration personnel brought enough vehicles to take away all the persons. Despite this, the officials reportedly did not explain why they were taking the group into custody. As the asylum seekers had been staying peaceably, awaiting the outcome of their applications, the only conclusion to be had is that this is part of a programme being carried out by the authorities in Thailand against asylum seekers and refugees.

In light of the above, I call for the immediate release of these persons and for them to be allowed to remain in Thailand pending the outcomes of their applications for asylum. I call for appropriate medical treatment to be given to the ill and pregnant among them, and for the concerned authorities to take other measures as necessary for their security and wellbeing.

In this regard I draw the attention of the government of Thailand to its legally-binding obligations under international treaties, specifically under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention against Torture, both of which it has joined voluntarily. Under article 9 of the ICCPR, it is prohibited for the authorities in Thailand to detain anyone arbitrarily, and anyone who is detained has a legal right to be informed of the reasons and to challenge their detention in a court of law. Furthermore, under article 10 of the same treaty, “All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.”

Finally, the government would be aware that under article 3 of the Convention against Torture, it is prohibited from forcibly repatriating any person to a country where he or she is in danger of being subjected to torture; therefore, it is incumbent upon the authorities in Thailand to ensure that where any persons among those seeking asylum have legitimate reason to fear that they would be subject to torture if repatriated, the appropriate steps be taken to make sure that they are not under any circumstances forced to go back to their country of origin.

Yours sincerely,

______________________
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva
Prime Minister
c/o Government House
Pitsanulok Road, Dusit District
Bangkok 10300
THAILAND
Fax: +66 2 288 4000 ext. 4025
Tel: +66 2 288 4000
E-mail: spokesman@thaigov.go.th or abhisit@abhisit.org

2. Mr. Chaowarat Chanweerakul
Minister of Interior
Office of the Ministry of Interior
Atsadang Road, Ratchabophit
Pranakorn, Bangkok 10200
THAILAND
Fax: +66 2 226 4371/ 222 8866
Tel: +66 2 224 6320/ 6341
E-mail: om@moi.go.th

3. Mr. Peeraphan Saleeratwipak
Minister of Justice
Office of the Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice Building
22nd Floor Software Park Building,
Chaeng Wattana Road
Pakkred, Nonthaburi 11120
THAILAND
Fax: +662 502 6734 / 6884
Tel: +662 502 6776/ 8223
E-mail: om@moj.go.th

4. Mr. Kasit Piromya
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affair
443 Sri Ayudhya Road
Bangkok 10400
THAILAND
Fax: +662 643 5318
Tel: +662 643 5333
E-mail: om@mof.go.th

5. Mr. Jullasingha Wasantasingha
Attorney General
Office of the Attorney General
Lukmuang Building, Nahuppei Road
Prabraromrachawang, Pranakorn,
Bangkok 10200
THAILAND
Fax: +662 224 0162/ 1448/ 221 0858
Tel: +662 224 1563/ 222 8121-30
E-mail: ag@ago.go.th or oag@ago.go.th

6. Pol. Gen. Wichean Potephosree
Royal Thai Police
1st Bldg, 7th Floor
Rama I, Patumwan
Bkk 10330
THAILAND
Fax: +66 2 251 5956/ 205 3738/ 255 1975-8
E-mail: feedback@police.go.th

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) (ua@ahrc.asia)

URL: www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2010/3613/