Bangkok - Police on Friday said they will target ALL Nigerians in Thailand for
investigation in a move a top UN human rights official warns could
amount to illegal and discriminatory policing.
Tourist Police chief Maj. Gen. Surachet Hakpal made the announcement
while displaying people rounded up in the latest mass arrests of 72
foreign nationals from 75 locations nationwide, including Khaosan Road.
He said arrests were also made at 18 schools where the foreign nationals
were working without work permits.
Eleven foreigners were arrested for overstaying their visas, 46 for
illegal entry and 15 for petty crimes. Among them were Russians,
Indians, Laotians, Ugandans and Nigerians.
Surachet said the campaign has seen more than 2,000 foreigners permanently banned from entering Thailand.
“This doesn’t mean all Nigerians are bad people,” he said. “Our
crackdown so far is to separate the bad guys from the good ones.”
He said the roughly 1,400 Nigerians currently residing in Thailand
and recorded by Immigration will be investigated next week and
questioned about their income to prevent further crimes committed by
foreigners.
A member of the National Human Rights Commission associated with the
UN warned that indiscriminately investigating all Nigerians without
evidence of wrongdoing or probable cause could be against the law and is
discriminating against Nigerian citizens.
“They should not randomly investigate people just because they’re
Nigerians, because it will become a discrimination against their race.”
Angkhana Neelaphaijit said, adding that those arrested have the right to
legal defense and to file a complaint if their rights have been
violated.
Online commentators and individuals responded quickly to the remarks
stating that Nigerians are not a race and are a nationality and when the
vast majority of foreigners arrested for overstay and crimes since
Operation X Ray began were Nigerian it should be permissible to check on
every one residing in the country. Those residing legally, not on
overstay and with proper permits if working should be allowed to stay
the commentators said.
Source - ThePattayaNews
