ICC Note:

Thailand will cancel the option of bail for asylum seekers who are male in Bankok. This will have a strong impact on Pakistani Christians, of which there are an estimated 11,500 seeking asylum in Thailand due to religious persecution. It would mean many of these asylum seekers would be detained immediately. Pakistani Christian asylum seekers complain that the UNHCR has not been sympathetic to their situation or recognized the danger they face for being Christian in Pakistan. Many think the latest move is an attempt by the Thai government to force asylum seekers to return to Pakistan. If anything, however, more asylum seekers from Pakistan are entering Thailand every year fleeing the strong religious persecution of Christians in Pakistan.

3/15/2017 Thailand (Matters India) – The Thai government is planning to cancel bail for all male asylum seekers in Bangkok.The move would require them to return to detention centres straight away.

This would include many of the estimated 11,500 Pakistani Christians who complained in 2016 that UNHCR officials in Thailand were not taking their applications seriously enough.

As far as is known, the move does not apply to male asylum seekers who have recognised refugee status, nor to women and children.