Thailand’s prime minister and security chiefs are to rule on a dissident Russian-Belarusian rock band held on immigration charges, a minister said Wednesday, as calls mounted for them not to be deported to Russia.
Thai officials detained members of the band Bi-2, who have criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, last week after they played a gig on Phuket, a southern island popular with Russian holidaymakers.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said they would face “persecution” if returned to Russia, pointing to comments by a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman accusing the band of “sponsoring terrorism.”
“The National Security Council is looking into the matter, seeing what are details including the band members’ names and nationalities,” Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara told reporters.
Several Bi-2 members have dual nationalities, including Australian and Israeli.
“If the band members did not violate any laws, we cannot just deport them because there are international laws on this,” Parnpree said.
“But if they violated the laws, we have to act on it according to legal procedures.”
The National Security Council is chaired by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and includes senior ministers and military and police officials.
It is the kingdom’s top body for coordinating national security policies.
‘Unprecedented pressure’
One member of the band — singer Egor Bortnik, known by his stage name Lyova — has already left Thailand, according to a post on Bi-2’s official Telegram channel on Wednesday.
“Lyova Bi-2 flew to Israel, the rest of the group members are still in a migration prison in a cramped cell for 80 people,” the post read.
Thai officials have confirmed that they arrested “seven or eight” people last week in Phuket for performing without the correct work permits, and said they could face deportation.
A police source told AFP on Wednesday that “four or five” were now being held at a detention center in Bangkok.
The organizers of the Thailand concerts, VPI Event, said all the necessary permits were obtained, but the band had been issued tourist visas in error.
“Typically, in such cases, migration services contact the organizer of the event to apply appropriate sanctions,” VPI said.
“But in this case, the attention of the migration services was focused exclusively on the artists.”
VPI said the Russian consulate had waged a campaign to cancel the concerts since December.
“We are making every effort to free the artists, but we are facing unprecedented pressure at every stage. We hope for a favorable resolution of the situation in the very near future,” VPI said.
Russia accused
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya urged Thailand to “find a solution” to ensure the band’s freedom.
“I’m worried about the situation involving the Belarus-born rock band Bi-2,” she wrote on social media platform X.
“It’s now absolutely clear that Russia is behind the operation to deport the band.”
Bi-2 is well known in Russia.
Several of their concerts were canceled in 2022 after they refused to play at a venue with banners supporting the war in Ukraine, after which they left Russia.
One of the band’s founders has openly denounced the Putin government, saying it makes him feel “only disgust” and accusing the long-serving leader of having “destroyed” Russia.
HRW said Russia had a history of targeting government critics abroad and urged Thailand to let the band go.
“The Thai authorities should immediately release the detained members of Bi-2 and allow them to go on their way,” Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
“Under no circumstances should they be deported to Russia, where they could face arrest or worse for their outspoken criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
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