Keomanivong Khoukham would face persecution if he was returned to Laos. (Photo: Facebook)
The arrest of a Lao political dissident in Bangkok has raised concerns about his safety with a human rights group calling on Thai authorities to release the man.
Keomanivong Khoukham, a member of the pro-democracy Free Lao group who has been living in Thailand, was detained by Thai police last weekend despite holding a card issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) certifying him as an officially recognized asylum seeker.
“Under no circumstances should Thailand send him back to Laos, where he would certainly face arrest and abuse,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“The Thai authorities should release him immediately and enable him to seek protection in a third country if that is what he wants.”
Rights advocates said the arrest of the Lao dissident was part of a trend whereby Thai authorities have refused to grant asylum to activists from Laos, a neighboring nation of 7.2 million ruled by a repressive communist regime that brooks no dissent.
“This is not the first time they [Thai authorities] have done it,” said Andrea Giorgetta, regional director of the International Federation for Human Rights.
In the case of UNHCR-protected individuals, the immigration authorities could grant bail with a bond and guarantor. Such individuals should not be forced to go back to face harm
“When [his] fellow activist Od Sayavong disappeared in August 2019, the Thai police spokesman said he didn’t know about it even though a missing person report had been filed at a local police station in Bangkok days earlier."
Giorgetta was referring to the case of a Lao political dissident who went missing that year under mysterious circumstances after criticizing the Lao government online and has not been seen since.
The rights activist added that if Keomanivong was deported from Thailand, which seemed likely, he would face persecution in Laos, a country where critics of the regime are routinely jailed or disappeared.
A senior Thai police officer acknowledged that the Lao man had been arrested.
“He was transferred to the immigration bureau after he was found guilty of overstaying his visa,” another unidentified police officer said.
As Thailand is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, it it entitled to deport any asylum seekers as illegal immigrants.
In addition, rights advocates have accused Thai authorities of secretly colluding with the governments of neighboring countries in arresting and deporting political dissidents in reciprocal arrangements.
Rights advocates in Thailand said they would seek to post bail for Keomanivong to prevent his deportation.
“I’m working with various networks that help foreign refugees and hope to lodge a request tomorrow,” said Angkhana Neelapaijit, a prominent rights activist.
“In the case of UNHCR-protected individuals, the immigration authorities could grant bail with a bond and guarantor. Such individuals should not be forced to go back to face harm,” she added.
