Swedish citizen and Falun Gong practitioner, Ms Pirjo Svensson, has now been detained by the Thai police for three weeks. In an effort to obtain “an immediate explanation” for her arrested and the cancellation of her Visa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sweden and the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok have formally contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand. TV, radio and some major newspapers in Sweden have also reported the incident, and have emphasized that Ms Svensson is innocent. At present, the Swedish government is actively negotiating with the Thai government to help Ms Svensson regain her freedom.
A Thai website reported on the 1st of May that the police arrested Ms Svensson on 29th April because they were afraid that she might protest during the visit of the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao. This is a false allegation. On the morning of the 30th of April, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sweden and the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok immediately made a formal notification to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand and asked the Thai government to “provide an immediate explanation” for this incident. Radio, TV and some major newspapers in Sweden have responded strongly to this incident. They immediately reported it and emphasized Ms Svensson’s innocence.
However, because the Thai government has succumbed to pressure from the Chinese authorities, the general secretary of Thailand has still not responded willingly to the diplomatic notification from the Swedish government. At the same time, Ms Svensson has refused to accept this unreasonable deportation, and has not accepted the proposed arrangements for her leave Thailand. At present, she is imprisoned in an extremely crowded and filthy cell.
Recent reports have stated that officials of the Swedish Embassy in Thailand will personally visit Ms Svensson in detention. They also said that because Ms Svensson had to endure extremely bad conditions, they would make ever effort to resolve the situation as soon as possible. Next Thursday, Swedish officials will meet with members of the United Nations Human Rights Committee during their visit to Thailand. In addition one MP from Thailand said that he would present Ms. Svensson’s case to the Premier of Thailand on Wednesday.
At present, officials from the Swedish Embassy are still waiting for the Thai authorities to respond. Officials at the Swedish Embassy have seen that many Thai citizens hold a correct viewpoint towards Ms Svensson’s case.
Officials from the Swedish government are also actively negotiating on Ms Svensson’s case; this week is crucial for the future of Thailand.
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2003/5/20/50747.html
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