In the midst of December’s global celebrations of joy and festivity, the month took a grim turn for a Pak-Christian family seeking asylum in Thailand, as they faced the haunting fear of arrest by Thai authorities.
Every December, Thai authorities resume a crackdown on asylum seekers, resulting in the filling of Immigration Detention Centers with refugees and illegal immigrants. Unfortunately, the Royal Thai Government does not recognize applicants registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as they have not ratified the UN Conventions for Asylum.
VIDEO: BACA helped Chris Rogers to film this documentary on the Pak-Christian asylum seekers in Thailand. Learn more and view short clip on BACA’s school for asylum-seekers on the BBC on-line article (here).
On the evening of December 28th, around 5:00 pm, the Royal Thai police and immigration officials descended upon a modest rented condominium in Putthabucha 45, where several asylum-seeking families had taken refuge after overstaying their visas.
At the manager’s office, police were meticulously checking the records of condo residents when Nathan Nadeem, an 18-year-old, descended with his younger brother Emmanuel (8 years) and sister Arithma (5 years), intending to drop them off at a nearby tuition center. The authorities immediately stopped them, investigated their identities and found them illegal. Nathan was compelled to lead the officers to their apartment where the rest of the family was residing.
Amidst the chaos, a resident of the condo alerted Nadeem Masih and his wife, Noshleen, about the arrest of their children and the impending search of their residence. In the wake of this unimaginable incident, the bewildered couple found themselves at a loss. Nadeem Masih managed to conceal himself in a small, dingy washroom of the apartment. However, during the apartment search, Noshleen was apprehended by the police.
The police officers chose to leave Emmanuel and Arithma behind due to their underage status. Meanwhile, Noshleen and her son Nathan were taken to a Bangkok Immigration Detention Centre [IDC], where illegal residents are held indefinitely in squalid and overcrowded cells.
Emmanuel and Arithma, both extremely young, have experienced a profound emotional shock as they helplessly witnessed the authorities arresting and taking away their mother and elder brother. The trauma has left a lasting impact on Arithma, who now vocalizes her longing for her mother, as Nadeem Masih painfully acknowledges. He expresses, “I cannot subject my children to the harsh environment of the IDC or jail due to our illegal status.” This has meant that the family is now divided as Nadeem tries to navigate the release of his wife.
Nadeem Masih’s journey to Thailand in 2021 was prompted by life-threatening situations back in Lahore, where local Muslims targeted him due to his elder brother eloping with a Muslim woman. Nadeem Masih has approached BACA through our officer in Bangkok. He has desperately requested assistance in paying the court fine and bail required for the release of his wife and son.
In his plea, he stated,
“Since the arrest of my wife and son, I have been hiding out at different places for fear of arrest. Moving to Thailand has not changed my situation. The situation here is even worse. I have no job or any source of income to feed my family. Please help me get my wife and son out of this limbo.”
o facilitate the release of Noshleen and Nathan from the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC), a court fine of £250 per individual needs to be settled. Non-compliance with this payment may result in the mother and son being transferred to a criminal jail for a month. Moreover, an additional £1500 per person is necessary to cover their bail fees and secure their release from the IDC. It’s worth noting that this bail fee initiative is a result of a collaborative effort, successfully championed by organizations such as BACA and other charities in 2014, in coordination with the Royal Thai Government. We are keen to bring this family back together, particularly since Noshleen has three additional children—one aged 8 and the other 6 years old. We’ve successfully secured the release of more than 10 individuals through this process. If you’re interested, there’s more to learn about our efforts.(here) and (here) and (here)
The plight of Christian asylum seekers in Thailand extends beyond this individual case. They live in constant fear of government arrest, compounded by the fact that several thousand asylum seekers in Thailand receive no protection from government authorities, as the country is not a state party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or it’s 1967 protocol (click here).
Juliet Chowdhry, Trustee for British Asian Christian Association, said:
“The absence of legal safeguards amplifies the vulnerability of these individuals, forcing them to endure the anguish of separation, imprisonment, and perpetual fear.
“The international community must not turn a blind eye to the suffering of these marginalized communities.
“Urgent attention and action are needed to address the precarious situation faced by Pak-Christian asylum seekers in Thailand, ensuring their safety, well-being, and protection from arbitrary arrests. It is imperative to advocate for policies that uphold the principles of human rights and provide a dignified life for those seeking refuge in a foreign land.”
