Our letter to Thai Ambassador

Dear Your Excellency Mr Kittipong Na Ranong, 

Re:  Our recent visit to the Thai Embassy to meet with Diplomatic Minister Counsellor MR Phuchphop Mongkolnavin.

Firstly, we at the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) would like thank you for taking the time to listen to our concerns about the situation
of our Christian brothers and sisters in Thailand. We have looked at the document you provided outlining what you are doing and the situation you are
facing, and we hope that a read of the relevant parts of the two seminal reports we left with you will help your country understand more fully the
situation that Pakistani Christians face in their home country, and why so many of them flee to your nation.

We would like to point out that most of those Christian refugees who arrive in your nation are people from a professional background and have skills
and talents that could be profitably put to good use for the benefit of the Thai nation, even if they are waiting to ultimately be resettled elsewhere.
For nearly 2000 years, Christians have been schooled by their faith and holy book to live lives of service to those around them, which is one reason
why Christian refugees have usually been amongst those who most readily integrate into their host society, whilst still retaining their distinctive.
For instance, we point to the way that Pakistani Christians, even in their straightened circumstances have set up schools not just for their own children,
but also for their Ahmahdi fellow refugees. We suggest that you use that to your advantage. We realize, of course, that you also have a primary commitment
to your native Thai citizens and their economic wellbeing, but we believe that since wealth is created by people with ideas and innovation, that you
can help Pakistani Christians without doing overall detriment to the economic wellbeing of Thailand, and indeed enhancing it. As we said, Christians
have a 2000 year old tradition of helping and serving wherever they can, but when their situation is one of living in fear for the next immigration
raid, or struggling just to survive, feed and look after their families, then they are unable to contribute to the wellbeing of the Thai nation as
they might otherwise be able to. Many are forced into vulnerable and sometimes degrading jobs in the black economy.

Whilst we recognize that, for instance, it would not always be possible to employ a Pakistani Christian with a nursing background as a nurse if it
would deny a Thai nurse a job, Pakistani Christian professionals such as teachers, nurses, IT workers and the like would be more than willing to engage
in any honourable work. We suggest a system whereby the government offered work with dignity and security in return for sufficient food and medical
care where needed. This would mean that instead of spending money without profit by holding them periodically in IDC’s, Asylum seekers could have security
whilst contributing to the economic wellbeing of the Thai nation – a win-win situation. Additionally, where possible, those whose professional skills
can be used can be paid the usual higher rate, supporting family members, and reducing the numbers of those who are dependent on the work programs.
This could also have the advantage of, for instance, not necessitating the keeping of children in detention with their parents, and avoiding resultant
dishonourable impressions to outsiders, whether those impressions are justified or not.

We realize of course, that given the security threats, there will still be a function for detention centres and the need for screening, but we also
offer to use our officers on the ground in Pakistan to help. For instance, they can search local police records to confirm whether or not they have
any relevant criminal record (excluding of course, such records that result from blasphemy accusations, or cases where it can reasonably established
that false accusations due to religion and confessions due to torture have occurred, which unfortunately do happen quite regularly). Not only that,
but given the close-knit nature of Pakistani Christian communities, we will be able to quickly find out in most if not all cases, if a Pakistani claiming
to be a Christian really is so, thus greatly speeding up and making more efficient and less costly the process of screening for potential terrorists,
which has led to a blanket ban on bails for asylum seekers from Pakistan and other nations deemed a security risk.

BPCA was heartened to hear about your plans for expansion of the existing cramped Immigration Detention Centres (IDC) to create more space for the
victims detained inside. We are also pleased that two new centres are to be built and that Minister Phuchpop has stated that conditions inside all
current centres will be improved. We are disappointed that the Royal Thai Authorities are arresting mothers with children, blaming the detention of
the children on parental desire despite mothers having little choice then to care for their children within the brutal confines of IDC’s.  The
option of the child care service in one IDC is neither ubiquitous nor always possible for already traumatised children who need the comfort only a
mother can provide.  We ask you to consider an amnesty for mothers and seriously ill victims on the basis that detainee children are suffering
severe sickness due to unhygienic conditions and several victims with treatable existing health concerns have already died in IDC’s – two this year.

BPCA has offered a screening service for Pakistani Christian asylum seekers to help expedite their freedom through bail with a statutory 2 year protection
from re-arrest above. We also request that you consider a reduction in the current bail fees which are extremely exorbitant and require payments by
charities.  The cost is beyond the means of the entire asylum community. A lowering of this fee will enable asylum seekers to be freed sooner
by charities struggling to raise the finance to free victims.

In your response the Royal Thai Authorities have stated ‘those arrested on immigration charges are placed in immigration Detention Centres pending their removal. This is a separate facility from the the prison system and is used exclusively for the detention of illegal migrant. Transfer for those who overstayed their stay permit…’

However, I must advise you that charities such as the BPCA have been paying court fines for asylum seekers, preventing them being incarcerated with rapists and murderers. In Central Jail men are stripped naked before sons and women before daughters. Men are also shackled with long irons chains and the bolts that are hammered into the rings around their ankles cause wounds. Several victims have also complained about being beaten by a rod on the back of their legs by over zealous prison wardens. We ask that you please consider reassessing the need for this court process and imprisonment pre-IDC detainment, especially considering the IDC system seems more then adequate.

We look forward to hearing back from you further

Yours sincerely

Wilson Chowdhry 

Chairman

British Pakistani Christian Association