ICC Note: Christians that seek asylum in Thailand from the persecution they face in Pakistan continue to suffer – this time at the hands of government officials in Thailand. Mustaq Faisal, a Christian taking refuge in Thailand, lost his wife when she was arrested for having an expired visa. Although Faisal’s wife had many health problems, the government denied her access to appropriate health care, leading to her death. Christians in Pakistan are often treated as second-class citizens and face unrelenting persecution for clinging to their faith. Some Christians have been fleeing the country to escape the persecution that they face at the hands of radical Muslims.

6/22/2016 Pakistan (Christian Daily) – Christians in Pakistan have fled to another country to escape persecution only to realize that they will experience more misery in their place of refuge. Earlier this year, a BBC investigation found that Thailand routinely arrests and detains those who seek asylum, even if they are still children. Authorities still detain them even if they are UN-registered asylum seekers. Although the Southeast Asian country has allowed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assess the applicants and decide if they should be repatriated or transferred to another country, many of the detained families have been waiting there for years without access to healthcare, work, and education.

In an interview with CBN News, Mustaq Faisal said his family was forced to leave their home and escape to Thailand after their Muslim neighbors attempted to kill them last year. The Christian father tearfully recounted how their neighbors threatened to kill his family as punishment for his alleged tearing of pages from the Quran.

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