Â鶹´«Ã½

World

    • Thailand criticized for returning Myanmar resistance members

    Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha talks to at reporters at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha talks to at reporters at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
    Share
    BANGKOK -

    Human rights groups and opposition politicians in Thailand are criticizing the government for forcibly repatriating three men who were reportedly members of an anti-government resistance movement in military-ruled Myanmar.

    The Bangkok-based People's Empowerment Foundation said the action violated universal human rights principles and Thailand's own policy because the men were likely to be in danger as a result of their activities fighting against Myanmar's government.

    "Given the situation of generalized violence in Myanmar, all Myanmar nationals in Thailand should be given temporary protective status and, as per Thai law, no one should be forced to return to a situation where they may face grave human rights abuses," Patrick Phongsathorn of the human rights organization Fortify Rights said Tuesday.

    A document issued by Thailand's National Security Council that was leaked to local media and seen by The Associated Press said the repatriation followed official policy and the men had not presented themselves as combatants in Myanmar's often-brutal civil conflict.

    Myanmar's independent media, which operate underground and in exile, reported that the three men were members of a resistance group called the Lion Battalion Commando and crossed into Thailand last month to have at least one of them treated for injuries.

    There has been serious fighting for the past two weeks in eastern Myanmar's Myawaddy township, part of an ongoing struggle that began in February 2021 when the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. When initial nonviolent protests against military rule were put down with lethal force, armed resistance broke out in much of the country.

    The Myanmar media reports said the three men, identified as Thiha, 38, Saw Phyo Lay, 26, and Htet Naing Win, 31, were arrested on March 31 at a Thai road checkpoint and sent back to Myanmar on April 4.

    The reports said the men were sent on a boat across the Moei River, which marks the border. They jumped out to try to escape but were shot and wounded and then captured by Myanmar's Border Guard Force, which is composed of ethnic minority militias allied with the military government.

    The Border Guard Force later turned them over to Myanmar's military. One was reported to have died of his wounds, but the details of their repatriation, sourced to their resistance group and witnesses, could not be independently confirmed.

    The Thai government has not given a full public account of what happened, but the leaked National Security Council document said the three men were among a larger group of Myanmar nationals who were arrested after crossing illegally into Thailand and had not been singled out to be sent back. Several thousand villagers fled the fighting in Myanmar last week and were given temporary shelter in Thailand's Tak province.

    According to the document, the three men were arrested at a checkpoint, had no passports or any identification documents and were charged with illegal entry. It said the three told authorities they had entered Thailand to attend the funeral of the mother of a friend.

    The document also said that Thai officials had not been notified that the men were anti-government combatants in Myanmar and no groups had contacted them to ask that they not be sent back.

    The People's Empowerment Foundation challenged the NSC account, suggesting that the men were not part of a larger group of detainees. It also said local human rights groups had approached officials to discuss the men's situation but were told to return the following day. When they did so, the men had already been sent back, it said.

    "Thai border security officials are fully aware that BGF (Border Guard Force) is not a safe zone for Myanmar nationals fleeing combat. Sending the three men to BGF territory therefore is inevitably sending them to their death by torture. Why did Thai security officials do that?" the group said in a statement Monday.

    Two Thai political parties raised similar criticisms.

    On Saturday, Rangsiman Rome, a spokesperson for the opposition Move Forward Party, said the repatriation reflected the close relationship between Thailand and Myanmar's military government.

    The Commoners' Party, another opposition party, said in a statement Saturday that Thai authorities may have violated international law.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

    Canada

    • Ontario's police watchdog has decided there are no grounds to believe Sudbury police committed a crime during a difficult arrest in May where the suspect's neck was broken.

    • The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

    • A man is facing numerous drug trafficking charges after Dufferin OPP seized a large assortment of drugs and weapons in Orangeville earlier this week.

    • Pasquale Monaco says he’s debating whether to keep renting out the two-bedroom basement apartment of the Montreal building he owns after it was flooded — again — in August, when the remnants of tropical storm Debby sent four feet of water rushing into the space.

    • Infectious disease physician Dr. Isaac Bogoch says whooping cough is most risky for unvaccinated infants, children and older people.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a nickname for the opposition’s end zone. They refer to it as the “chicken box.â€

    • Jonathan Aranda homered for the second consecutive game, helping Taj Bradley and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Saturday.

    • Kiefer Sherwood spent several nights last spring chasing Quinn Hughes around the ice and generally pestering the Vancouver Canucks.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    • One man is dead and another injured after a shooting in Langley Saturday evening that homicide investigators say is gang-related.

    • Anyone needing emergency care in a city in B.C.’s southern Interior will need to seek help elsewhere until Monday, as the latest ER closure in the region has shuttered the department’s doors for 25 hours.

    • The two top contenders in British Columbia's provincial election dove deep into the various issues plaguing the Metro Vancouver area on Sunday, in some cases hearing directly from those most affected.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

    • Roads have reopened near Union Station following a suspicious package investigation on Sunday afternoon.

    • Toronto police have arrested three people and they are looking for two others in connection with an alleged fraud that saw a man and his daughter bilked out of more than $18,000.

    • The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.

    • Nearly 100 Inglewood residents rallied Saturday afternoon in a continuing effort to save the Inglewood Aquatic Centre.

    • Nick Kolomyja reckons axe throwing may have saved his life.

    • With CTV broadcasting NFL football games on Sundays this season, Â鶹´«Ã½ at Six with Austin Lee will be broadcasting live on our website and the Â鶹´«Ã½ App.

    • Thousands participated in the 17th annual Canada Army Run Sunday in the capital's downtown.

    • A local vendors market with a Taylor Swift theme took place this Sunday in Ottawa.

    • Provincial police (SQ) are looking for 29-year-old Kelsey Watt, who went missing in Hemmingford, Que.

    • Nearly 15,000 runners pounded the pavement on Sunday in the 32nd edition of Montreal’s Bereva Marathon.

    • Â鶹´«Ã½ Montreal at Six for Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024 with anchor Matt Gilmour.

    • An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

    • One person is dead after an early morning crash in west Edmonton.

    • Dovercourt residents gathered on Sunday to protest a new Hope Mission shelter that will soon open in an old warehouse near Yellowhead Trail and 149 Street.

    • Saint John Theatre Company’s “Waiting for Godot†stars former "Corner Gas" star Eric Peterson, and R.H. Thomson, known for his role in "Anne with an E."

    • A 76-year-old man who was reported missing Saturday in Annapolis District, N.S., has been found deceased.

    • Manitoba RCMP and community members are still feverishly searching for a six-year-old boy who went missing five days ago.

    • Winnipeg police called in the bomb unit Saturday night after a suspicious item was found in a Centennial neighbourhood back lane.

    • While slang may come and go, experts say the phenomenon behind them, which constantly churns out brand-new bon mots, is as old as language itself.

    • Fire officials are investigating after a fire completely destroyed the community fridge in the Cathedral neighbourhood.

    • The last two months after losing her daughter Bella have been extremely difficult for Kyla Thomson.

    • Regina police arrested three youths in connection to a bear mace incident at a Regina high school on Friday.

    • Brantford, Ont. residents were met with an unexpected sight on Saturday evening as a suspected funnel cloud appeared in the skies above the city.

    • Police were called to a business in the area of University Avenue East and Weber Street North at around 10:40 p.m. Saturday for a report of a man attempting to stab another man.

    • Police said the pedestrian, a 52-year-old man, was taken to an out-of-region hospital with life-threatening injuries and the driver of the vehicle failed to remain at the scene.

    • A 14-year-old girl from Flying Dust First Nation was killed after a high-speed ATV struck a ditch near Meadow Lake.

    • The 75-year-old building, formerly the Waskesiu Chamber of Commerce building, was relocated to the Parks Canada compound on the edge of the townsite.

    • A 53-year-old woman from north Vancouver, B.C. was killed after a semi and truck collided on Highway 16 near Dafoe.

    • There were no injuries reported after a home on Regent Street near Douglas Street in Greater Sudbury’s west end on Sunday morning.

    • Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after an Ontario Provincial Police officer discharged his firearm at a 36-year-old man in near Moonbeam, Ont., on Friday night.

    • Wage increases, new paid holidays and a big signing bonus are part of the new contract for CAMI employees in Ingersoll, Ont.

    • video

      video

      The most popular hockey podcasters on the planet brought some major attention to the Forest City this weekend with the annual Chiclets Cup.

    • The identity of a motorcyclist has been revealed by loved ones on social media following Friday’s fatal south end collision in London. The London Police Service has not released anything regarding the driver’s identity.

    • One man is in police custody after fabricating a story to police and reporting his vehicle was stolen.

    • Fire crews worked to extinguish a fire at a tent encampment in Barrie on Sunday.

    • A year after being recognized as one of 19 ‘Bee Campuses’ by Bee City Canada, Georgian College continues to promote the importance of bees to agriculture, the economy and education.

    • Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is reporting that it’s above the provincial target for sudden cardiac arrest response times.

    • video

      video

      The Amherstburg Uncommon Festival is living up to its name with the addition of a drone light show — a first for Essex County.

    • The St. Clair College Saints were in Oshawa over the weekend as they faced Durham College.

    • Work crews have been busy in the British Columbia legislature over the summer, prying apart desks in the historic chamber and piling them up in hallways as they tried to work out how to fit in six more seats.

    • The two top contenders in British Columbia's provincial election dove deep into the various issues plaguing the Metro Vancouver area on Sunday, in some cases hearing directly from those most affected.

    • A Victoria woman is now $1 million richer after winning a Maxmillions prize on a recent Lotto Max Draw.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • Despite the heavy rain, plenty of muscle turned up for United Way’s annual Pull the Bus fundraiser in Lethbridge Friday.

    • Lethbridge County has rescinded its fire restriction as a result of the recent cool, wet weathr.

    • The Lethbridge Hurricanes kicked off the 2024-25 season on a winning note Friday night, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 in a game played at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.

    • The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario

    • A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

    • Following an outbreak of COVID-19 on its continuing care floor and just ahead of the flu season, St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Elliot Lake has opted to re-introduce a universal masking policy until further notice.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹´«Ã½. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹´«Ã½