Lao rights activist who faced deportation in Thailand arrives safely in Canada

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Khoukham Keomanivong (L) and Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal (R) at Bangkok’s Suvarnnabhumi Airport, March 10, 2022.

 

Khoukham Keomanivong, a UN-recognized refugee, was wanted in Laos for his advocacy work.

 

A Lao human rights activist who was living in Thailand under threat of deportation to his communist homeland has arrived in Canada where he will seek asylum with the support of the United Nations refugee agency and human rights groups.

 

Khoukham Keomanivong, a U.N.-recognized refugee, was convicted on Jan. 31 in a closed-door Thai trial of overstaying his visa and had been held pending deportation to Laos, where he faced arrest for his advocacy work he says he has refrained from for more than two years.

 

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He was later released on bail and was finally allowed to leave Thailand on Thursday for Canada with the assistance of rights groups and the UNHCR. Khoukham arrived in Vancouver on Friday after transiting in South Korea and was undergoing quarantine procedures for COVID-19.

 

Full story: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/arrival-03112022213348.html

 

-- © Copyright  Radio Free Asia 2022-03-12

 

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[JoePai]

Good for him - and shame on Thailand to even think of deportation 

[zzaa09]

7 hours ago, JoePai said:

Good for him - and shame on Thailand to even think of deportation 

That's what they do.

Birds of a feather club.

[Blumpie]

9 hours ago, JoePai said:

Good for him - and shame on Thailand to even think of deportation 

Thailand is no different from China and is starting to emulate it in every way.  IT's very frustrating to see but there is little that can be done.  Westerners are far different from Thais in that we grew up with basic rights and freedoms.  They did not so are unaccustomed to making a fuss in any real substantive way.  IT's not something that anyone can change, and Thailand will go where it goes like a tanker and there will be no stopping it.

 

[pegman]

16 hours ago, JoePai said:

Good for him - and shame on Thailand to even think of deportation 

Good on Canada too for once again being one of the few countries  that offers sanctuary in such cases. 

[herfiehandbag]

13 hours ago, Blumpie said:

Thailand is no different from China and is starting to emulate it in every way.  IT's very frustrating to see but there is little that can be done.  Westerners are far different from Thais in that we grew up with basic rights and freedoms.  They did not so are unaccustomed to making a fuss in any real substantive way.  IT's not something that anyone can change, and Thailand will go where it goes like a tanker and there will be no stopping it.

 

I am afraid I don't agree. The up and coming younger generation are aware of the concept of basic rights and freedoms, understand that ( in theory) those rights are guaranteed by the constitution ("de jour"), and expect those rights and freedoms to be upheld. That started to bleed through electorally with the strong support for Future Forward in the last election. The generation not yet ( but almost) of voting age are just as, if not more aware. Oh they may load their phones with videos of "Black Pink" or rap artists we can't understand, but they are very aware. The uniformed dinosaurs are fighting a hard rearguard action, but it is doomed. The young people just don't care about the things which they believe justify how they rule.we saw that in various of the street protests in Bangkok last year. They ( the dinosaurs) will come unstuck.

Edited March 13, 2022 by herfiehandbag

[zzaa09]

And what of the hundreds of activist exiles that also seek mainstream conscious attention? 

The randomness of the selected martyrs is predictable by way of these news circles.

[Knocker33]

22 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

That's what they do.

Birds of a feather club.

More like the Dicktators club. 

Spelling mistake intended

[Blumpie]

9 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

I am afraid I don't agree. The up and coming younger generation are aware of the concept of basic rights and freedoms, understand that ( in theory) those rights are guaranteed by the constitution ("de jour"), and expect those rights and freedoms to be upheld. That started to bleed through electorally with the strong support for Future Forward in the last election. The generation not yet ( but almost) of voting age are just as, if not more aware. Oh they may load their phones with videos of "Black Pink" or rap artists we can't understand, but they are very aware. The uniformed dinosaurs are fighting a hard rearguard action, but it is doomed. The young people just don't care about the things which they believe justify how they rule.we saw that in various of the street protests in Bangkok last year. They ( the dinosaurs) will come unstuck.

I can't agree more that "they are aware of it" however as people age they change their thinking patterns and tend to get in line with group thought.  IT's no different in any other country.  Look at university students when they start voicing their opinions.  

Nah, they aren't going to change.  To change the way that things work it takes a generation or two at least.  Just my opinion!