Many Bangladeshis languish in Thai jails
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Over 350 more Bangladeshis, who were either illegally going to Malaysia on boats or had trespassed on Thai territory, have been languishing detention in Thailand.
At least 157 detainees have been passing their days inside immigration detention centres in southern Thailand and around 200 have been in prison for at least two months for illegally entering the Kingdom.
The Thai Foreign Ministry early last month informed the Bangladesh Embassy in Thailand of the 157 individuals who claimed to be Bangladeshi and that they were in two detention centres in Ranong and Phang Nga provinces of Thailand close to the Andaman Sea.
According to official sources at the Bangladesh mission and the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka, a team from Bangladesh embassy had interviewed the 157 individuals between April 11 and 13. Up to 27 of the refugees are being detained in Ranong and 130 in Phang Nga.
The team said it appeared that most of the detainees were indeed Bangla-deshis and that the mission in Bangkok had sent contact details of the individuals to Dhaka so their identities and nationality can be verified.
Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry officials said the list of names had been sent to the Home Ministry.
However, the Home Ministry said verification would take time and that they had to be careful since many Rohingya people from Myanmar often take the same sea route to get to Malaysia illegally.
An official said the Thai Foreign Office would also be giving them a list of another 200 people detained in Thailand and that they would interview the detainees later.
Earlier in March, the Thai authorities had informed Bangladesh about the arrest of 214 Bangladeshis and the Home Ministry has taken measures to verify their nationality.
So far, the nationalities of 80 of these individuals have been confirmed. Bangladesh will make arrangements for the repatriation of the prisoners once they are verified.
“The number of Bangladeshis being trafficked into Thailand has risen alarmingly over the past few months and is certainly a matter of concern,” a letter from the Bangladesh mission in Bangkok addressed to Dhaka said.
Around 600 people claiming to be Bangladeshi are now imprisoned or in detention centres in Thailand.
