HK activist barred from entering Thailand

BANGKOK, October 5 (TNA) - The Thai army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) says it has had no information on China's request to detain a Hong Kong teenage protester, Joshua Wong, who has been reportedly stopped by Thai immigration officers upon his arrival in Thailand. NCPO Spokesman Winthai Suvaree told journalists on Wednesday that the Thai Immigration Bureau might have been coordinating with concerned Chinese authorities in the case. The spokesman noted that it is normally the duty of the Thai Immigration Bureau to screen people traveling in and out of the country and to always coordinate immigration data with overseas authorities concerned. The spokesman stated that it is, thus, the Thai Immigration Bureau's jurisdiction to decide and take any action under its mandate. The Hong Kong teenage activist and leader of Demosisto was reportedly barred from entering Thailand on October 4, after he was invited to deliver a speech at Bangkok-based Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science on October 6. According to the spokesman, a person could be prohibited from entering Thailand, the same regulation as other countries, if authorities found his/her records related to any illegal activity or his/her purpose of visit was unclear. The spokesman pointed out that in case of national security concerns, the Thai Immigration Bureau could limit some information revelation. Meanwhile, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Wednesday afternoon that a Chinese authority has already taken the Hong Kong young activist from the Thai Immigration Bureau. (TNA)