No respite in Thailand for fleeing Pakistani Christians

Pastor Joshua, from Lahore, had to flee to Thailand after he was punished for converting from Islam to Christianity

Many Christians, including children, fleeing persecution in Pakistan are often detained in Thailand despite being UN-registered asylum seekers, according to BBC.

One such victim is Pastor Joshua, from Lahore, who had to flee to Thailand after he was punished for converting from Islam to Christianity. "My bone was broken - the one right above the heart. And they tried to cut my arm off," he said.



Pastor Joshua added, "My sister was murdered, she was burned alive, just because she spoke the word 'God'. They hate the word 'God' so much. She was burned for this reason alone."

One of the reasons why Pakistani Christians choose Thailand is that it’s easy to enter the country on a short-term tourist visa and it is also by far the safest option considering Pakistan's hostile neighbourhood.

However, they are not welcome there either. Thailand is not a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention, and anyone without a valid visa or a work permit risks being arrested, charged with illegal immigration and jailed.

Thailand has allowed the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, to step in and investigate the credibility of those claiming to flee persecution - a process with two possible outcomes, either repatriation or relocation to another country. But many of these families say they've been waiting years to be assessed by the UN and they have no access to work, education or healthcare.

Thousands of Pakistani asylum seekers, who were once comfortably-off professionals, now live in dingy rooms in a network of tower blocks on the outskirts of Bangkok. With few possessions, they live off local Christian charities.

They live in constant fear that the Thai immigration police may strike any time. When that happens, they are arrested and taken to court charged with illegal immigration, fined 4,000 Baht and then sent to Bangkok's Immigration Detention Centre.



One man, Sabir, fled Pakistan two years ago with his wife, Laila, their two daughters, Laila's parents, and her siblings and grandparents. They shared a small, sparse room with no kitchen or toilet, all 10 of them - until Laila was arrested two months ago.

Between sobs, Sabir says that he is lost without her, though he doesn’t regret leaving Pakistan. A gang had threatened to kill his family if they didn't convert to Islam. "Over here, the only fear we have is of the immigration police, nothing else," he said.

However, the UN will not investigate his asylum case until 2018 due to backlog.

In a statement to the BBC, the UNHCR admits it is struggling. "Amid the context of today's acute global humanitarian funding crunch, it is correct that at present we are facing long delays in the processing of asylum claims with funding for Thailand at only a third of the level needed." But it adds that it has managed to prevent the arrest of more than 400 "people of concern to UNHCR" in the last six months, by insisting on their status as registered asylum seekers.

The Thai government; however, fears that immigrants from Pakistan could be involved in terrorism.

Inside the detention centre, hundreds of asylum seekers are present in a large, stiflingly hot room, pressing their faces against a wire-mesh internal barrier. For one hour a day, some of the 200 asylum seekers held here are let out of their cells to see visitors.

Female asylum seekers complain of their children suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting because of poor sanitation and dirty drinking water. Men, on the other hand, remain semi-naked to keep cool in the overcrowded cells. One mother said she had been there for three months with her children. "The youngest is three and the eldest is 10. They are finding it very difficult being here, they are getting so ill," she said.

The Thai government says parents "often choose to have their children with them while in detention".



Many of the detainees have not received legal assistance from the UNHCR since their arrest. "We have no faith in the United Nations," 19-year-old Nazeem said, as she held on to her baby cousin. "We only have faith in God. He will bring us freedom."

Their only way out of detention is for local charities to request bail from the Thai authorities. It costs about $1,250 to release one person, so they do this only for those deemed most vulnerable.

Altogether there are an estimated 11,500 Pakistani asylum seekers in Thailand, more than from any other country except Myanmar. Those who are unable to pay the 4,000 Baht fine after they are arrested are thrown into one of Thailand's notorious jails.

Once a group of 20 Pakistani men, women and children were arrested. The men, whose heads were shaved and ankles and hands placed in shackles, were separated from the women. "We had a lot of problem sleeping, sitting, standing up and walking," one said. "The chains weighed about 4kg or 4.5kg, and we used to have injuries on our ankles. We were in a lot of pain. It was very difficult for us."

Instead of the UNHCR, a local missionary came to their rescue. Remarkably, one of them, called Daniel, was still able to invoke his faith's humility and forgiveness.

"Jesus said to us, 'If someone troubles you, don't ask for curses for him, instead, you should ask for blessings for him.' So, we ask for blessings for the UNHCR."

This article originally appeared on BBC.