Published : 05-11-2018
The London-based Action Group for Palestinians of Syria (AGPS) and the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) dispatched a memorandum to the Ambassador of Thailand in Britain, Pisanu Suvanajata, warning of the dire conditions endured by Palestinian refugees in Thailand.
Citing reports from Thailand, the letter said the Thai authorities have been treating Palestinian refugees as lawbreakers rather than asylum-seekers fleeing such war-torn zones as Syria.
The memo referred to an affidavit released by a Palestinian refugee from Syria who had been detained in Bangkok, along with 100 refugees, among them women, children, and elderly persons, for overstaying their visas.
AGPS and PRC expressed deep concern over the fate of around 600 Palestinian refugees in Thailand, where they have become at the risk of refoulement and arbitrary detention.
They further warned of the tragic upshots of the simmering crackdowns perpetrated by the Thai authorities against stranded refugees who are neither able to safely access their homeland nor allowed to take shelter in other countries.
AGPS and PRC urged the international community and Palestinian institutions to take immediate action, rally round stranded refugees who have been left on their own in Bangkok, and ensure they are fairly treated.
AGPS and PRC also appealed for convening a meeting with the Thai Ambassador in Britain to discuss latest developments and efforts by the embassy in this regard.
At the same time, a PRC delegation is slated to meet with the Thai envoy sometime next week at the UN headquarters in New York, where a seminar is expected to be held by PRC on November 7 to tackle the future of Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.
Over 600 Palestinian refugees, including 50 from Syria, have sought shelter in Thailand, where they have been considered as outlaws rather than humanitarian cases.
The London-based Action Group for Palestinians of Syria (AGPS) and the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) dispatched a memorandum to the Ambassador of Thailand in Britain, Pisanu Suvanajata, warning of the dire conditions endured by Palestinian refugees in Thailand.
Citing reports from Thailand, the letter said the Thai authorities have been treating Palestinian refugees as lawbreakers rather than asylum-seekers fleeing such war-torn zones as Syria.
The memo referred to an affidavit released by a Palestinian refugee from Syria who had been detained in Bangkok, along with 100 refugees, among them women, children, and elderly persons, for overstaying their visas.
AGPS and PRC expressed deep concern over the fate of around 600 Palestinian refugees in Thailand, where they have become at the risk of refoulement and arbitrary detention.
They further warned of the tragic upshots of the simmering crackdowns perpetrated by the Thai authorities against stranded refugees who are neither able to safely access their homeland nor allowed to take shelter in other countries.
AGPS and PRC urged the international community and Palestinian institutions to take immediate action, rally round stranded refugees who have been left on their own in Bangkok, and ensure they are fairly treated.
AGPS and PRC also appealed for convening a meeting with the Thai Ambassador in Britain to discuss latest developments and efforts by the embassy in this regard.
At the same time, a PRC delegation is slated to meet with the Thai envoy sometime next week at the UN headquarters in New York, where a seminar is expected to be held by PRC on November 7 to tackle the future of Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.
Over 600 Palestinian refugees, including 50 from Syria, have sought shelter in Thailand, where they have been considered as outlaws rather than humanitarian cases.
