2 May 2003
Pirjo from Gothenburg arrested in Bangkok: no reason given yet her visa has been revoked
Pirjo Svensson, 44, is a Swedish Falun Gong practitioner who has been arrested in Bangkok, Thailand and has had her visa revoked. She is now being detained at the Immigration Bureau detention centre.
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Top picture: Falun Gong practitioner Mrs Svensson has been practising Falun Gong for several years.
Bottom picture: Thai Immigration Detention Centre, where Mrs Svensson has been held since Tuesday.
Mrs Pirjo Svensson, 44, has been living with her husband John, a computer engineer, in Bangkok for nearly 3 years. On Tuesday morning, five policemen knocked at the couple's door and searched their apartment with a search warrant written in Thai. Policemen found some material related to Falun Gong, a meditation movement banned in China. This is not unusual as Mrs Pirjo Svensson has been an active Falun Gong practitioner for a number of years.
Held in the detention centre
The policemen arrested the Gothenburg lady and then took her to the Immigration Detention Centre, where she is currently being held. Her friends in Gothenburg said that the problem is nobody knows why she was arrested.
The Swedish Embassy in Bangkok has demanded an immediate explanation, yet no accurate or reasonable explanation has been made available. Consul Stellan Berg of the Swedish Embassy waited until 3am in the morning, hoping to get an explanation. She told reporters that she hopes to talk with the Embassy again to get updated information. "We only know that no charges have been made against Mrs Svensson but her visa has been revoked."
"Is this the reason for her detention?"
"Yes, this is the official explanation. Her visa is also revoked. A friend of Mrs Svensson in Gothenburg, Ms Lilly Wang, told us that she has contacted a lawyer and one-hour visits are allowed every morning. The last conversation between Ms Wang and Mrs. Svensson was on the day of her arrest when she found out that police suspected her of illegal behaviour. Special Branch police found a video documentary containing details of human rights abuse in China among her belongings; they said that the video is potentially "detrimental to society".
Wang said, "I am unable to make contact with her any more since her detention." Her Falun Gong colleagues surmise that her arrest is a result of pressure from Chinese authorities: The police arrested her on the day of the Chinese Premier's visit to Thailand.
Source: http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200305/12262.html
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Category: Persecution Outside China
