Press release
of October, 21th 1998
Airport asylum procedure
Deportation immediately into the clink?
UNHCR warns against the deportation
of an Afghan family to Bangkok
Airport asylum procedure
Translation-Info
This is a machine translation by the IBM-supported PERSONAL TRANSLATOR plus. It is slightly edited by combining its results with the translation of SYSTRAN. But you should not rely on it. If you want to use a translated text append or reference the original text.
Deportation threatens an Afghan family with two children to Bangkok this afternoon, after their asylum procedure at the Rhine-Main airport was turned down by the Federal Office and Administrative Court. After the usual ruling the family shall be returned to the last country passed through at the flight. The German Representation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has announced deep doubts against the execution. Because Thailand isn’t signatory state of the Geneva Refugee Convention. In a letter of the UNHCR to the lawyer of the family of October 16th, 1998 is said:
„Our office is informed, that the Thai immigration authorities will detain arriving refugees for indefinite time due to missing regulations on asylum. In all probability family H. will be arrested also immediately upon arrival in Bangkok for an indefinitely long time. The most recent case known to our office is behind approx. three months and refers to a former Vietnamese quota refugee, who has been rejected at his attempt of re-entry to Germany from Bangkok at Munich airport and has been returned to Bangkok. Immediately upon arrival he was taken into custody, where he still is so far „.
PRO ASYL calls on to Home Office and Federal Border Guard, under these circumstances in no case to deport to Bangkok taking into account the doubts of UNHCR. The family doesn’t have the means, to leave Thailand even in the case of a release and to seek protection in a third country. Besides the minors should absolutely be kept from experiencing detention.
