Thailand bows to deportation request

AT THE request of China, Thai authorities yesterday denied entry to Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, who had been invited to speak at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the Thammasat University massacre.

Pol-Colonel Pruthipong Prayoonsiri, deputy commander of the Suvarnabhumi Airport Immigration Office, confirmed that China had asked for the Thai government’s cooperation in denying entry to Wong.

“As a result, the Immigration Bureau blacklisted, held and expelled him,” Pruthipong said.

However, the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the Foreign Ministry were quick to distance themselves from the controversial action, both denying they had given the order. 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said the Thai government did not forbid freedom of speech, adding that denial of entry could result from many factors and was mainly the responsibility of the Immigration Bureau.

The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok acknowledged the news of Wong’s detention. “China respects Thailand’s [right to] exercise immigration control according to the law,” an official at the embassy told The Nation. 

This is not the first time Wong has been denied entry by a Southeast Asian nation with close ties to Beijing. Last year Malaysia turned him away, reportedly over concerns his presence would damage ties with China. 

 

“You have been blacklisted”

Less than 12 hours after arriving in Bangkok, the 19-year-old activist was deported via a Hong Kong Airlines flight, landing back at his original point of departure at 3.30pm local time yesterday.

A post on Wong’s Facebook page described how he was detained by authorities at Suvarnabhumi airport, prohibited from contacting anyone and had his passport confiscated.

The Guardian reports that Wong, who became an international symbol in the fight for democracy during Hong Kong’s 2014 “Umbrella” movement street protests, said about 20 police officers had taken him into custody at around midnight on Tuesday.

“For almost 12 hours I was detained alone inside a cell,” he told reporters. “When I asked what the reason was for them detaining me … they just said ‘We will not give you any explanation. You have been blacklisted’. 

“When I requested to contact my lawyer in Thailand or at least notify my parents that I had arrived in Bangkok they still rejected my request,” he added.

“It is really beyond my expectation to have this kind of suppression from the Thailand government. For me, I think this is illegal detention.”

Wong’s political party Demosisto issued a statement condemning the Thai government for curbing Wong’s freedom and right of entry. Party members also led a protest march to the Thai Consulate in Hong Kong.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha denied that authorities had detained the Hong Kong activist. “He just flew over and went back to China. It’s China’s business, we should not intervene. They are all Chinese, Hong Kongers and mainlanders,” he told reporters. 

 

Symbolic protest

He also warned that media seeking to link the incident to commemoration of the October 6 massacre “should not broaden the story for their own purpose”, adding that the government would allow commemorative events held by students and academics. “I respect the right of the people to do so, but should not provoke social disorder,” Prayut said.

Wong was scheduled to address a pro-democracy event at Chulalongkorn University (CU) today, in the hope that his experience could inspire his Thai counterparts who are chafing under coup-installed rule where freedom of speech and human rights are widely restricted. Wong was one of the leaders of the massive Occupy protest in 2014 that demanded universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

CU student activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, who was Wong’s Thai host, said yesterday that Wong might still deliver his scheduled talk in Bangkok via Skype.

Political science lecturer Kanokrat Sathitniramai, an organiser of today’s event at the university, said that Wong’s deportation had come as a surprise. 

“When we were preparing for this, we thought about security and how to deal with those who might have different opinions about the subject. Nobody thought Wong would not be allowed to enter the country at all,” she said.

CU students and event organisers led a demonstration sporting umbrellas yesterday to symbolically protest Wong’s repatriation.

The New Democracy Movement (NDM) also gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok in protest the ejection.

The group called on the Thai government to admit its responsibility, explain the controversial move, and stop human rights infringements.

Last year the junta deported scores of Uighur refugees back to China, reportedly at the demand of Chinese authorities. A Hong Kong bookseller who disappeared from Pattaya also turned up later in Chinese custody.