Could be a long wait for fugitive ex-monk

A former senior Buddhist monk wanted by police for allegedly laundering millions in embezzled state funds is reportedly seeking asylum in Germany after managing to flee Thailand. German authorities have refused to hand over the former Phra Phrommedhi to a Thai police team led by national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda, which flew to Frankfurt in the hope of escorting the fugitive ex-monk back to Thailand to face justice.
The monk is now known by his lay name, Chamnong Iam-intra, following a royal command stripping his monastic rank along with those of six other high-ranking monks implicated in the embezzlement scandal involving more than Bt350 million. He was the last of the seven suspects to be apprehended.
It will be interesting to see on what grounds the former monk requests asylum and whether Germany will grant it. The German government is apt to grant asylum if the applicant faces political persecution back home or requires protection as a refugee or subsidiary protection. Asylum can also be given to prevent deportation.
Criminals often flee their countries to escape the law. A lengthy criminal record might well land them back home if they’re arrested abroad, but fugitives with little or no history of breaking the law – such as this ex-monk and several prominent Thai politicians – are less likely to be extradited. Thus they seek asylum in their host country. The practice of granting asylum and refugee status, though, greatly complicates the legal process for the fugitives’ homelands.
It is surely fair for victims of political or religious persecution or other unfair treatment at home, or whose lives were in danger due to armed conflict, to be granted asylum or refugee status. But in too many cases, the applicants are nothing more than common criminals fleeing deserved punishment.
Thai politicians charged with corruption at home flee abroad and take advantage of this system. They might have cheated citizens or the state of billions of baht and personally gained from government projects illegally. Yet most live in luxury overseas on the wealth they amassed dishonestly while in office.
There is no problem if the authorities overseas grant asylum or refugee status after taking all pertinent details into consideration, including the nature of the case against the applicant. If that is done, the best the applicants can hope for is a delay in their extradition, since they will be sent home once disqualified for special status.
However, given the global stature of Thailand’s military-led government, the chances of Chamnong being extradited are slim. The fact that the current administration came to power through an Army coup could instead support his claim, if he chooses to make it, that he faces political persecution at home. The claim could convince the German courts, even in a case of alleged embezzlement of state funds.
The system of granting asylum and refugee status can thus end up unintentionally helping actual lawbreakers escape due justice in their home countries. It would be too much to hope that every bogus refugee and asylum seeker is screened out. 
All details relevant to the applicant’s case should be carefully and fairly considered in determining whether asylum or refugee status is allowed. This is for the sake of justice, even justice in a developing country ruled by a military junta.