webfact Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 IMMIGRATIONUK academic held at airport amid blacklist controversyVisarut SankamThe NationWyn Ellis //Photo from : BBCThaiBANGKOK: -- Pol Maj Gen Suvitchpol Imjairat, head of Immigration at Suvarnabhumi Airport, confirmed yesterday that a British academic Wyn Ellis was being held at the airport's detention centre because his name was officially blacklisted.He said that Ellis' Thai wife, accompanied by a British Embassy official, was trying to get the blacklist withdrawn at the Immigration Department at Bangkok's Soi Suan Phlu, but declined to comment further about the case.Immigration Bureau investigation chief Pol Maj General Warawuth Thaweechaikarn could not be reached for comment as of press time last night.An agricultural consultant for the United Nations, Ellis was stopped on arrival from Wales and taken into detention last Thursday.Ellis has had long-running legal battles with Supachai Lorlowhakarn, former head of the National Innovation Agency (NIA), who Ellis accused of plagiarising his work. He has been detained allegedly because of a request by Supachai in 2009 for Ellis to be blacklisted.Ellis told The Nation via phone yesterday he had been held for five days and was disappointed, as no NIA officials had shown up to help him. He said he wanted the NIA to cover the cost of a plane ticket if he is forced to leave and return. He said he was not considering suing anybody.In a Facebook post on Sunday, Ellis said he had written to the new NIA director, Dr Pun-Arj Chairattana, pointing out that the NIA's responsibility for this situation didn't end with a letter revoking its original fraudulent allegation and demand for blacklisting made in 2009.He said he had called upon the director and others to "extricate me" by appearing today at Soi Suan Phlu and submitting a letter from the NIA demanding his removal from the blacklist."My lawyer will be there to present evidence of Supachai's convictions for criminal forgery and plagiarism."In 2008, Ellis complained to Chulalongkorn University after he noticed Supachai, who at the time headed the agency responsible for promoting and protection of intellectual property rights, had plagiarised his and others' work in his PhD thesis.This led to Supachai filing nine lawsuits against him but Ellis later won seven of these, while other two suits were settled out of court.The university later stripped Supachai of his doctorate after an investigation found 80 per cent of his thesis had been taken from various sources.Supachai also was fined and given a suspended prison term for forging Ellis' employment contract in 2012 and Supachai was sacked by the NIA this February.Ellis' legal battles have become well-known in Thailand and news that he has been held at the airport after an allegedly bogus blacklist request has been reported by The Guardian and the BBC.Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/UK-academic-held-at-airport-amid-blacklist-controv-30268362.html-- The Nation 2015-09-08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisY1 Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Dreadful behaviour of the Thai Immigration police.....nothing more spiteful than a Thai that has lost face! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritTim Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 The BBC is reporting that Dr Ellis has been released and the situation is now resolved. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-34177852 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangkokfrog Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Even if he has been released, the damage has already been done. More great publicity for the xenophobic and short-sighted "powers that be" in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NongKhaiKid Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Dreadful behaviour of the Thai Immigration police.....nothing more spiteful than a Thai that has lost face! If I've read this story correctly Ellis had been blacklisted simply on the request of the former head of the NIA whom he had accused of plagarism etc, correctly as it turned out. Seems ridiculous that someone can be blacklisted in this fashion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 I hope Mr Ellis can have the last laugh & have Mr Supachai put in jail. Mr Superchai is nothing but a low life thief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritTim Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 If I've read this story correctly Ellis had been blacklisted simply on the request of the former head of the NIA whom he had accused of plagarism etc, correctly as it turned out. Seems ridiculous that someone can be blacklisted in this fashion. I agree with you but, in fairness, the Thailand blacklist is arguably a model of transparency and due process compared to the US No Fly List (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Fly_List). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewsterbudgen Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Many reports are saying he's been released and taken off the blacklist. This thread seems very out of date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thian Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 But what exactly did he copy? What great inventions about agriculture did mr Ellis make? Was it not possible that 2 people did the same inventions at the same time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prbkk Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Many reports are saying he's been released and taken off the blacklist. This thread seems very out of date. Not so very out of date...this happened late last night, after more than 5 days in detention. This story resonates and has legs because everyone, retiree, employee, business owner, knows that 'there but for the grace of God go I'....everyone is only one vindictive or litigious complianant away from being in similar circumstances.. Most foreigners in Thailand want certainty: assurances that there is safety, tenure, freedom from harassment. Sadly, from the perspective of the individuals ( as well as for Thailand itself), there is a vulnerability , not only from vindictive whack-jobs but also government policy which can change at any whim or fancy. This is a really bad news story for Dr Wym but also for Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fookhaht Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 (edited) But what exactly did he copy? What great inventions about agriculture did mr Ellis make? Was it not possible that 2 people did the same inventions at the same time? Plagiarism (academic corruption) is the issue, not the content. A post intended to divert the main point of the thread/discussion (as is two posts before it). Edited September 8, 2015 by Fookhaht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Fairfield Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 UPDATE UK academic Wyn Ellis released from Thai detention Read more: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/854344-uk-academic-wyn-ellis-released-from-thai-detention/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts