Letter from a UK MEP to the Thailand Ambassador about Illegally Detained Swedish Practitioner

HE Mr Vikrom Koompirochana
Royal Thai Embassy
29-30 Queen's Gate
London
SW7 5JB

21st May 2003

Your Excellency,

I am extremely alarmed by a letter I received from a constituent concerning Mrs Svensson, a Swedish citizen and also a Falun Gong practitioner, who is being unlawfully detained by the authorities in Thailand.

On the 29th April 2003 Mrs. Svensson was arrested at her hotel in Bangkok, by six immigration officers. They confiscated some of her belongings such as Falun Gong books, Falun Gong flyers in different languages and VCDs. At the moment Mrs Svensson is still detained together with her husband at the immigration office and yet she still has not been informed of the nature of her charges. The immigration officers are making arrangements for deportation and they are revoking her visa, as a result of the content of one VCD. This VCD shows the exercise movements of this practice and factual information about the persecution of Falun Gong. Such VCDs are widely distributed and available in many countries and the material is also freely available on the internet. The immigration officers said that this information "will exhibit behaviour which would indicate possible danger to the public or the likelihood of their being a public nuisance, a threat to the peace or safety of the public, or the security of the public or the nation."

Mrs. Svensson has not been given any explanation about which law she is has broken, since Falun Gong is not forbidden in Thailand. Authorities implied that the real reason that she is detained is that she could have created a protest against Chinese leaders visiting Thailand for the international SARS meeting. Thailand immigration officials admitted that they have to report to the Chinese Embassy. Thailand is supposed to be a democratic and independent country but it seems that the Thai authorities are violating both national and international laws and human rights. Two weeks ago a diplomatic note was issued by the Swedish Embassy in Thailand to the Thailand authorities, but there has been no reply as yet.

I am extremely concerned about the situation of Mrs Svensson and other Falun Gong practitioners. A Swedish practitioner has claimed that Mrs Svensson is detained with 90 other people in a room of 90m2 metres squared, in extremely hot conditions. Apparently they are only allowed to go to an open space for fresh air once a week for 20 minutes. I hope that you will look into this as a matter of urgency and let me know what actions are being taken to address the situation.

Yours Sincerely,
[Name omitted]