Thailand blasted for deporting Chinese dissidents

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Thailand blasted for deporting Chinese dissidents

By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK:-- The UN’s refugee body is furious at the Thai government for kicking out five Chinese nationals, including two dissidents.

A democracy activist in Bangkok told Radio Free Asia that veteran dissidents Dong Guangping and Jiang Hefei had been deported to China last Friday along with three other Chinese given refugee status by the UN.

The UNHCR said it was “deeply concerned” by the repatriation of the men, who were supposed to be resettled outside Thailand and China shortly, the Guardian reported.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/11/17/thailand-blasted-deporting-chinese-dissidents

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2015-11-17

[clockman]

When the master says jump!

[Thai at Heart]

What the hell are they playing at. Idiots. The last time they repatriated people to China they got a bomb in Bangkok. But deporting activists is really low.

[webfact]

Thailand believed to have deported 2 Chinese activists

BANGKOK (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency criticized Thailand on Tuesday for deporting two refugees who were about to be resettled in a third country. Rights groups identified the two as Chinese pro-democracy activists.

The Bangkok office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees did not give the names or nationalities of the two, or the country that granted them asylum. It said it was deeply concerned about the Thai government's action, which was taken despite numerous appeals from its office and others.

The U.S. branch of Amnesty International issued a statement Monday identifying them as Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping, and said they were most likely sent to China on Friday. U.S. government-supported Radio Free Asia gave the same identification.

Thai and Chinese officials were not immediately available for comment.

Radio Free Asia said Jiang is a political cartoonist who was detained and tortured after criticizing China's ruling Communist Party for mishandling relief and recovery efforts after a massive Sichuan earthquake in 2008. It said he has been living in Thailand since fleeing his country, and was granted refugee status by UNHCR in April.

It said Dong was imprisoned for subversion in 2001-2004 and was secretly detained for eight months in 2014 before fleeing China with his family two months ago.

Thailand was criticized earlier this year for forcibly repatriating more than 100 members of the Uighur minority who had fled China, where they say they face repression. China said some were terrorists and all had left the country illegally. An August bomb blast in central Bangkok that killed 20 people was blamed by Thai police on a criminal gang that allegedly smuggled Uighurs out of China, but the authorities deny it was revenge for the mass deportation. Suspects in the case have not yet come to trial.

Thailand's military junta, criticized by the United States for toppling an elected government last year, has sought warmer economic and political relations with China.

Thailand has not signed the international agreement pledging to honor U.N. refugee status — which would prevent their involuntary repatriation to their homeland while under threat — although it generally has informally allowed such people to stay here, sometimes in detention centers.

The latest deportations came shortly after the disappearance of Gui Minghai, a Hong Kong-based book publisher, from his vacation home in Thailand. Three other members of his company, Sage Communications, are reported to have disappeared while visiting mainland China, and all four are believed to be in the custody of the Chinese authorities. The company, taking advantage of Hong Kong's status as a special region with more freedoms than the rest of China, had published books critical of the Communist Party and sold them and others at a bookstore it runs.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-11-18

[mamypoko]

Let's hope the headline does not turn out to be a pun.

[BSJ]

Cum on, did anyone expect a different outcome???

[Briggsy]

Thailand is dancing to the tune of its new patron.

[ddavidovsky]

So Prayuth is pro communist and not a facist.

What an appalling attempt at logic.

China hasn't been communist since Mao died. It's fascist. Like the Thai junta. Hence the new axis.

[dageurreotype]

What the hell are they playing at. Idiots. The last time they repatriated people to China they got a bomb in Bangkok. But deporting activists is really low.

Particularly when those activists had already been processed and accepted as refugees by the US. Incredibly stupid move.

[yellowboat]

Thailand is everyones ally and nobody's friend.

[AlQaholic]

Thailand should be kicked out of the U.N.

[trainman34014]

The day will come when Thailand will pay dearly for its arrogance and stupidity in such matters. Sadly it will not be the despot rulers who will suffer personally but the public at large together with tourists in the firing line.

Clearly, they have learned nothing whatsoever from the recent Bangkok bombing, which is no surprise to any of us. If they keep up this type of nonsense a Paris style attack will eventually happen in their own back yard, and they will still be too thick to work out why it happened !

[mmh8]

where is the blasting though?

I don't beleive it is stupid. this is not the us, Thailand need not pander to the us.

immoral maybe, but understand your us is similar in its policing attitudes to soviet union police before its break up.

why would thailand care aobut us processing and acceptance?

[mike324]

Thailand shooting itself in the foot again.

[yellowboat]

where is the blasting though? I don't beleive it is stupid. this is not the us, Thailand need not pander to the us. immoral maybe, but understand your us is similar in its policing attitudes to soviet union police before its break up. why would thailand care aobut us processing and acceptance?

Because we care and we vote with our dollars and every time these things happen. We think twice about doing business in Thailand and buying from Thailand. True, the US has done bad things and they are takened to task over that, as should Thailand for the despicable acts. It is a bit childish to think because other countries lose their moral compass that Thailand is allow to do so as well. Why not raise the bar instead of lowering it all the time ?

[casualbiker]

What the hell are they playing at. Idiots. The last time they repatriated people to China they got a bomb in Bangkok. But deporting activists is really low.

Particularly when those activists had already been processed and accepted as refugees by the US. Incredibly stupid move.

If they had been processed and accepted in April WHY were they still in Thailand. Surely that's something the UN has to answer for!

[yellowboat]

You wonder if they will start sending back north Koreans next .

[LannaGuy]

You wonder if they will start sending back north Koreans next .

Identification problem as many in the Junta are indistinguishable these days

[Baerboxer]

Thailand should be kicked out of the U.N.

And keep all the real terrorist supporting states and dictatorships in?

[webfact]

UNHCR denounces Thailand for repatriation of two Chinese dissidents



BANGKOK: -- The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) yesterday issued a statement denouncing Thailand for the repatriation of two veteran Chinese dissidents back to China.

According to The Guardian, The UNHCR however did not identify the two dissidents or name their nationalities, but said it was “deeply concerned over the refoulement of two recognised refugees from Thailand.

It said the men had been approved to be resettled outside Thailand and China and were due to depart days after the unannounced deportation this weekend.

“This action by Thailand is clearly a serious disappointment, and underscores the longstanding gap in Thai domestic law concerning ensuring appropriate treatment of persons with international protection needs,” the UNHCR said in the statement.

The UNHCR said the reasons for the deportation remained unclear, and it occurred despite numerous officinal interventions by members of the international community, including the UNHCR’s representatives in Thailand.

But Amnesty International today identified both of them as Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping.

It said Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping were arrested by Thai authorities on 28 October for not having valid visas.

It said Jiang was arrested and tortured in China in 2008 after criticising Beijing’s handling of the earthquake in Sichuan province that year.

Dong was detained after participating in a peaceful event commemorating victims of the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square.

Amnesty International said the pair were “at grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment, as well as unfair trials in China after having been deported from Thailand by local authorities”.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/unhcr-denounces-thailand-for-repatriation-of-two-chinese-dissidents


-- Thai PBS 2015-11-18

[h90]

Send out the troublemaker:

"Pro-Democracy" activists....says it all....foreign paid troublemaker most probably.

[yellowboat]

Thailand should be kicked out of the U.N.

And keep all the real terrorist supporting states and dictatorships in?

Sad but true, the bar for leadership is so low today, that being a self centered, thoughtless curmudgeon state is not so bad .

[h90]

Just think if Edward Snowdon or Julian Assange came here. Victor Bout the Lord of War got caught here and sold off to the highest bidder. Why doesn't China return the favor when Thaksin is in Hong Kong?

Victor Bout: That was Abhisit who sold him....against Thai and international law, damaging relations with Russia.

[Baerboxer]

So Prayuth is pro communist and not a facist.

What an appalling attempt at logic.

China hasn't been communist since Mao died. It's fascist. Like the Thai junta. Hence the new axis.

It's certainly murdered less of it's own citizens since Mao died.

What is the difference between the two - in one people are ruled by an overt elite a la military style; whilst in the other they are ruled by a covert elite who usually plunder far more and screw things up for everyone but themselves, whilst lying and pretending they're just looking after the people. No wonder their color is red.

Both rely on fear to oppress their citizens, both make people disappear, imprison them without trial and in extreme forms develop concentration camps and gulags, both clamp down on free speech, dissidents and control the media.

[jesimps]

an absolute Disgraceful act by the Military Junta

even the right wing nutters (EnglishJohn, Baerboxer, Rubl, H90, DJJamie and a few others) can't defend this surely? surely???

You can't brand everyone who supports the junta right wing. Nutters I'll accept. I'm a right winger but am also a great believer in democracy ie one man one vote. It's our birthright. I also served 12 years in the army and know how utterly incompetent high ranking officers can be. Run a country? Wouldn't trust them to run an allotment.

[yellowboat]

Send out the troublemaker:

"Pro-Democracy" activists....says it all....foreign paid troublemaker most probably.

Again you distinguish yourself. We all take great solace in knowing that people who think like you are a tiny minority. So , you are not for representative governments ? You do not believe in Chinese or Thai democracy ?

[sharecropper]

This is also very worrying, especially in a country desperate for foreigners to buy their over-priced and over-built housing stock:

The latest deportations came shortly after the disappearance of Gui Minghai, a Hong Kong-based book publisher, from his vacation home in Thailand. Three other members of his company, Sage Communications, are reported to have disappeared while visiting mainland China, and all four are believed to be in the custody of the Chinese authorities. The company, taking advantage of Hong Kong's status as a special region with more freedoms than the rest of China, had published books critical of the Communist Party and sold them and others at a bookstore it runs.

[happy Joe]

I approve without reserve the Thailand for these evictions.

These activists have maybe likely justifications in their action but they harm the interests of the friendly Thailand of China.

And thus it is good that they are expelled without delay on the principle that the general interest prevails.

As for the concise and simplistic judgments on China as communist, fascist etc. it would be necessary to ask to their authors for the recipe to govern 1400000000 of the people without conflict majeur since almost century.

[h90]

Send out the troublemaker:

"Pro-Democracy" activists....says it all....foreign paid troublemaker most probably.

Again you distinguish yourself. We all take great solace in knowing that people who think like you are a tiny minority. So , you are not for representative governments ? You do not believe in Chinese or Thai democracy ?

Democracy is a nice thing to have....but not a must.

Must have:

Peace

Food

living place

work

medical care

education

than some luxuries, TV, mobile phone, wine

than democracy

If you have civil war or hunger than I would first exchange democracy for bread.

See Iraq and Libya ....happy Democracies.....before with their dictator they were better off.

I would say Chinese government makes way better politics than US or EU governments, so why would anyone want to change it for the worse?

If some evil dictator rape the country, people are hungry, than of course Democracy is the way to go.

If the government does well, in a huge country with many different ethnics, economic grow is good, everything is improving why would someone exchange that for maybe civil war when some populists wants to get some share.

[yellowboat]

I approve without reserve the Thailand for these evictions.

These activists have maybe likely justifications in their action but they harm the interests of the friendly Thailand of China.

And thus it is good that they are expelled without delay on the principle that the general interest prevails.

As for the concise and simplistic judgments on China as communist, fascist etc. it would be necessary to ask to their authors for the recipe to govern 1400000000 of the people without conflict majeur since almost century.

Interesting perspective, a man who believes in peace at any price. To h*ll with human rights and just do what is in your best interests? Preserving human freedoms are not important ? It looks to be the situation in Thailand is hopeless and it will one day be left behind by its neighbors.