A Vietnamese religious freedom activist will likely be extradited from Thailand unless Canada stages a last-minute intervention, supporters say.
Y Quynh Bdap, a United Nations-registered refugee who has lived in Thailand for six years, was arrested in Bangkok in June after he travelled to the city to attend an interview at the Canadian embassy.
Last year, a Vietnamese court found Mr. Bdap guilty in absentia on terrorism charges, for his alleged involvement in violent protests in the country’s Dak Lak province. Mr. Bdap denied playing any role in the unrest, and after Vietnam issued an extradition request to Thailand, went into hiding.
After he was recognized as a refugee by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Thailand, Mr. Bdap’s case was referred to Canada, where supporters hoped he might be able to relocate, but doing so required Mr. Bdap to attend several interviews in person, forcing him to break cover and resulting in his arrest.
Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and regularly deports refugees and asylum seekers, in breach, critics say, of the country’s international and domestic legal obligations to protect people from potential ill-treatment.
On Monday, a Thai court is expected to issue a ruling in Mr. Bdap’s extradition case, after which it will be referred to the country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs for a final decision. Supporters of Mr. Bdap said that if Canada allowed him to relocate, or otherwise publicly intervened in the case, it might be sufficient to block his extradition.
“There’s been no word from Canada,” said Ben Swanton, a researcher at the 88 Project, which advocates for free speech in Vietnam. “They’re really damaging his chances.”
A member of Mr. Bdap’s legal team agreed that if Canada granted Mr. Bdap’s resettlement, it would make a big difference as the Thai government could then allow him to travel there before finalizing his extradition. The Globe is not identifying this person because of the sensitive nature of their work in Thailand.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Global Affairs Canada would not comment on Mr. Bdap’s case, referring The Globe and Mail to the country’s immigration authorities, who also refused to comment, citing privacy regulations.
Asked about whether Ottawa lobbies Hanoi on human rights issues, Louis-Carl Brissette Lesage, a GAC spokesperson, said “Canada’s comprehensive partnership with Vietnam includes co-operation on upholding international law, working together to facilitate trade, enhance economic co-operation and growing people-to-people ties.”
If he is sent back to Vietnam, Mr. Bdap faces up to 10 years in prison, and “a real risk of an unfair trial and ill-treatment,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement. The group said members of Mr. Bdap’s Christian Montagnards minority had long faced persecution and limits on their religious freedom in Vietnam.
Nguyen Dinh Thang, president of Boat People SOS, a U.S.-based advocacy group, said Mr. Bdap’s case could set a dangerous precedent.
“The extradition of Y Quynh Bdap, if that happens, would certainly send a chill through the entire population of Vietnamese refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand,” he told The Globe and Mail. “First, it shows that the Thai government gives no regard to the non-refoulement principle, which prohibits states from sending victims back to their original place of persecution. Second, the Vietnamese government would have sent the signal to dissidents in the country that they have nowhere to hide, no safe place to go to.”
At a time when Western governments are courting Hanoi as a potential counterbalance to China, Mr. Thang said they should wield their “tremendous economic, trade, aid and geopolitical leverages that, if properly used, can nudge Vietnam in the direction of reforms and greater respect for human rights.”