BANGKOK – Kanchana Patarachoke, a Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson, acknowledged on Thursday all the Russian rock band Bi-2 had left Thailand in “accordance with their wishes and Thai immigration laws and regulations.”
Thailand is under the close watch of international human rights campaigners after immigration officers arrested seven members of this band for not having a work permit. During that time, members of a rock band critical of Moscow’s involvement in Ukraine told the media that they feared being deported to Russia.
According to the Associated Press report, five of the seven Bi-2 musicians entered Thailand using Russian passports. At least four of the members are reportedly Israeli nationals, including the two founders, Uman and Bortnik. The latter is also an Australian citizen.
Guitarist and singer Aleksandr “Shura” Uman of Bi-2 said when he arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, the band was doing well and very tired after their ordeal.
He also called the conditions he and his band faced in a Thai jail as “horrible.”
“We are free and we will keep moving forward,” Uman said.
Uman thanked the Israeli, American and Australian diplomats, as well as human rights organizations, for their work to bring them to Israel. A handful of supporters met their early-morning flight with signs to welcome them to Israel.
The decision to allow the band to go to Israel was applauded by activists.
“Bangkok was right to refuse Moscow’s demands to send these activist artists back to face certain persecution and worse in Russia,” said Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch’s deputy Asia director.
Bi-2 has 1.01 million subscribers to its YouTube channel and 376,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Andrei Lugovoi, a member of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, had called the band members “scum” for their criticism of the war in Ukraine.
The Deputy Chief of Immigration Police, Pol. Maj. Gen. Pantama Nutnarot, said on Wednesday that members of the Russian rock band Bi-2 were arrested in Phuket last Thursday because they did not have a work permit in Thailand.
When it was discovered that these band members did not have proper working papers, they were sent to the investigating officer for charges and then to the detention room at the Immigration Police Office in Bangkok.
Maj. Gen. Pantama explained that it’s unknown whether Thailand has already signed an extradition deal with Russia, but individuals sought for political or ethnic reasons will not be returned to Russia.
According to human rights principles, extradition is excepted in the case of political prisoners. Even they are the offenders, the Immigration cannot force someone to leave the country. The authorities will let them apply to international agencies such as the UNSCR or the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to become political refugees.
“Under the human rights principles, they can be released on bail to live as a refugee, but with the condition of not being able to pursue a career or do anything that is against the laws of Thailand,” Maj. Gen. Pantama stated.
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