About half of the 63 Chinese Christian asylum seekers held in Pattaya last week for overstaying their visas will be sent to court today, according to an immigration officer.
Local police and immigration officers rounded up 63 members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, including children, on Thursday at the Long Lake Hillside Resort in Bang Lamung district on March 31, following a tip-off.
Human Rights Watch on Saturday urged the government to ensure their safety, fearing they may face persecution and torture if deported to their homeland. HRW also called on UNHCR to assess the group’s refugee status and “help ensure no one is deported to a place where their lives or freedom are threatened”.
An Immigration Bureau source yesterday said Nong Prue police in Bang Lamung district will today take 30 Chinese adults to attend their trial at the Pattaya Provincial Court for overstaying in the kingdom since December. If found guilty, they’ll be fined 500 baht each day overstayed with a maximum of 20,000 baht, the source said.
They were released on bail as requested by the UN refugee agency, the source said.
Thirty-three Chinese children are under the custody of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the source said.
Citing the Immigration Act, the source said foreigners who overstay in the kingdom will be deported after paying a fine, and they will be blacklisted from entering the country again.
Alternatively, they may seek asylum status with UNHCR, the source said.
“No one knows their fate in China, but Thai police insist they are given good care under the regulations and will work closely with the UN to ensure justice is provided to them,” the source said.
Another source said Chinese people are allowed to believe in Christianity if they abide by rules set by the Chinese government. This group appears to be Roman Catholics who have defied government instructions, the source said.
The group later fled to South Korea for about two years, the source said, adding they were arrested there for overstaying while their bid for asylum was underway, before entering the kingdom with tourist visas.