American and British charities were collaborating to ensure the release of a Pakistani Christian asylum seeker from Thailand’s notorious Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in July.
Noshad Young was seeking medical treatment and had been deteriorating over the past month. Refugee sources reported that he had been unable to eat for days, had blisters in his mouth and was suffering from continuous anal discharge.
Noshad Young, 52, is one of the many Christians who fled the persecution they faced in Pakistan. He arrived in Thailand in 2013 along with his family and applied for asylum through the legal process. But Thailand refuses to sign UN conventions for asylum, so his official status with the Royal Thai Government is ‘visa overstayer’. This is despite having registered under the UNHCR process and having official documents. Asylum seekers in Thailand have no access to employment, healthcare, education or any other statutory provision.
