A Zimbabwean family has spent almost three months living in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport unwilling to return home and unable to obtain visas to a third country.
A Zimbabwean family of four adults and four children has been stuck at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport for almost three months with no solution in sight.
Thai immigration officials say the family members have applied to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the hope of securing refugee status.
However, whilst their case is being reviewed they are unable to leave the airport. The family have already been waiting for nearly three months.
Returning to Zimbabwe is not an option for fear of persecution, despite the family refusing to explain how they ended up in their predicament.
The eight Zimbabweans initially arrived in Thailand as tourists. They attempted to fly out of Bangkok in October to Barcelona, but were denied boarding because they did not have visas to enter Spain.
They were also unable to re-enter Thailand as they are banned from re-entering the country for a year because they had overstayed their initial tourist visas.
In November, the family boarded a Ukrainian International Airlines flight to Kiev.
Upon arrival they were denied permission to travel on and eventually sent back to Thailand, where they remain today.
Speaking to the BBC, Thai immigration bureau spokesperson Pol. Col. Cherngron Rimphadee said: “Their situation is not as dramatic … actually they have plenty of options.”
[adblockingdetector id="638efa67113bf"]