London: (By Hannah Chowdhry) On 10th September, Royal Thai Immigration raided a local workplace in Charan Sait Worng, Bangkok, apprehending 15 illegal Pakistani Christian asylum seekers. The families of these arrested individuals urgently approached the British Asian Christian Association (BACA) for help in paying fines related to overstaying in Thailand. Without this assistance, the detainees would face the grim prospect of remaining in overcrowded criminal jails—a nightmare no one should endure.

The arrested Pakistani Christians were presented before the judge in Taling Chan Criminal Court, where they were fined 16,000 Baht (£365) each for working illegally and overstaying their visas. Thailand enforces harsh and strict laws against overstaying, categorizing such individuals as illegal immigrants. Typically, the court fine is around 6,000 Baht, but when someone is found to be working illegally, the fine is determined at the court’s discretion.

On 12th September, a BACA officer visited Taling Chan Criminal Court to assist the arrested persons. The officer successfully paid the fine for Irfan Masih (37 years) and Yousaf Babu (45 years), who were subsequently sent to the Immigration Detention Center (IDC) in Sathon, Bangkok.

The BACA officer also met with the family of Irfan Masih, who left Pakistan with his wife, Sana Irfan, and their three children—Tereza (14 years), Ezza (11 years), and Anosh (12 years)—in 2023. Sana Irfan shared with BACA,

“My Papa had a fight with Muslim men in Pakistan. The Muslim men tried to kill my father; therefore, for our safety, we moved to Thailand one and a half years ago.”

As the sole breadwinner, Irfan has been supporting his family while living in a rented apartment in Bangkok. With his current detention in the IDC, the family is left without any financial support, struggling to meet their basic needs. Tereza told BACA that they have no money to pay the overdue rent or buy groceries. She has earnestly requested BACA’s assistance in paying their house rent and helping secure their father’s release on bail.  The asylum seeker refugee bail programme was initiated in 2016 after a successful campaign by a few charities of which BACA was one.  This allows detainees in the Immigration Detention Centre to be set free into the community by paying a fee of 60,000 baht (£1,369.97)

BACA has paid the fines for several of the detained individuals, but the urgent need for financial support continues as families face dire circumstances without their breadwinners.

Juliet  Chowdhry, Trustee for British Asian Christian Association, stated:

“We are doing everything we can to alleviate the immediate suffering of these families, but the scale of need is overwhelming. Without their breadwinners, these families are left in a dire financial situation. We urgently appeal for donations to support them during this challenging time.”

BACA is calling on compassionate individuals and organizations to help fund the bail money necessary for the release of these detainees, as well as provide financial support for their struggling families.