Despite being granted refugee status by the UNHCR, the court accepted Y Quynh Bdap’s extradition request from Hanoi. The activist has filed an appeal and a new asylum application with the Canadian embassy. The ambiguous attitude of Thailand, which opens its doors to temporary reception but is not a signatory to the UN Convention, does not offer real guarantees.
Bangkok () – The Thai authorities have decided in recent days to expel Y Quynh Bdap, a well-known Vietnamese activist for the defense of ethnic minorities in his country and founder of the organization Montagnards Stand for Justice, which among other things works to document before the United Nations the limits imposed by the Vietnamese authorities on religious activities and fundamental freedoms.
And Quynh Bdap has been in Thailand since 2018 with the recognition of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and, if he is really deported, a 10-year prison sentence awaits him after he was found guilty in absentia in January. of terrorism in Vietnam.
The decision of the Bangkok court confirmed the extradition request presented by Hanoi for the alleged involvement of the activist in last year’s attack on police posts in the area of north-central Vietnam inhabited by thirty different ethnic groups, commonly called Montagnards (mountain people).
On October 1, the day before the verdict, the activist had met with officials from the Canadian embassy, where he had requested asylum. He based his hopes on this for a more favorable solution to his case, as well as on an appeal based on the risk of human rights violations upon his return.
Many have expressed concern about the fate of the 32-year-old activist, but the matter is confirmation of Bangkok’s treatment of those who have sought refuge in the country, which is not a signatory to the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. , although it is more open than others to temporary foster care.
In the recent past, groups of persecuted Rohingya refugees in Myanmar have been repatriated against their will, as have ethnic Chinese Uyghurs fleeing Xinjiang province, Hmong fleeing persecution in Laos, and Christians facing discrimination and threats in Pakistan. The presence of refugees trying to save themselves from conflict or political and religious persecution is a source of shame for Bangkok, despite the international contribution to aid, and bilateral relations with countries of origin often lead to the decision to repatriate by force contingents of refugees.
Last week, the rejection by a large parliamentary majority of the bill on the integration of ethnic minorities, which number around sixty and represent a total of 10% of the Thai population, also caused perplexity and some dissension. In several cases they have been subject to discrimination, forced expulsion from their lands and exclusion from fundamental rights. The reason given by a Conservative MP is that the recognition of the ethnic groups as “indigenous people of Thailand” might have been “unfair” to the Thai majority.
Add Comment