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/