[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 117 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1469-E1470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           ASIAN GOVERNMENTS COLLUDE IN DRACONIAN CONSPIRACY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 1996

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to my colleagues' 
attention that the Governments of India, Thailand, and Nepal have 
colluded to abduct Sikhs living abroad and transport them to India in 
complete violation of pertinent human rights treaty and customary law. 
Two cases highlight this alarming trend.
  On July 16 at 6 a.m., about 20 Thai police officers surrounded a 
house owned by a Thai Sikh. Police entered the house and arrested the 
owner along with a Sikh independence activist named Nam Singh, a 
Pakistani passport holder who was working in Thailand on a valid Thai 
work permit. Although the owner of the house was eventually released, 
Nam Singh was detained and held without formal charge or access to 
loved ones and legal counsel. Twenty-four hours later, the owner of the 
house where Nam Singh was staying retained the help of a well-known 
Thai human rights activist, Mr. Thonghai Thongpao. But by then it was 
too late.
  Mr. Singh had been secretly placed on flight TG3112 bound for 
Katmandu where Nepalese authorities transferred Mr. Singh to Indian 
authorities. It is my understanding that Mr. Singh has been brought 
before a Punjab court and has been charged. However, given the 
illegality of his abduction, I have no idea what the charge may be. I 
have enclosed a copy of a letter sent by Thai Sikhs to the Center for 
Human Rights in Geneva, the letter details Nam Singh's abduction.
  The second case is with regard to Mr. Jagjit Singh Chohan, an elder 
Sikh independence leader from the United Kingdom. Mr. Chohan's story 
has already been presented, however, I want to highlight his inhumane 
treatment by Thai police officials. After Mr. Chohan was brutally 
beaten by Indian officials and placed back on the plane, and after he 
was assured by Thai Airways managers that he would receive medical 
treatment upon arrival in Bangkok, Mr. Chohan was instead placed in a 
detention center for 18 hours without access to medical treatment, he 
could not even make a telephone call. Mr. Chohan was lucky, he had his 
medication with him, without it, the beating which he suffered coupled 
with his detention may have resulted in his death.
  Mr. Speaker, both Mr. Chohan and Nam Singh have been treated worse 
than animals, apparently as a result of some unspoken alliance between 
Thai, Indian, and in the case of Nam Singh, Nepalese authorities. If 
these two were bona fide suspects, surely some formal proceeding should 
have been undertaken. But I suspect that the rule of law was not 
foremost in the minds of the police and government officials who 
brutalized the two Sikhs. In little over 2 months, the Indian 
Government has illegally detained United States citizen Balbii Singh 
Dhillon in violation of United States sovereignty, brutalized an elder 
Sikh leader living in the United Kingdom for 18 years and apparently 
arranged the virtual kidnaping of a Sikh whose citizenship is 
Pakistani.

[[Page E1470]]

  Secretary of State Christopher, recently and rightfully, attacked 
Indonesia's human rights record. However, the United States must employ 
a consistent standard of human rights for all countries, whether they 
are friends or foes. The United States should openly condemn these 
extrajudicial abductions and deportations by Indian, Thai, and Nepalese 
authorities. The current practice of condemning one country's human 
rights violations while ignoring others creates a double standard which 
leaves us open to accusations of racial and ethnic bias.
  Copy of Fax received from: Sikh residents of Thailand. Dated: July 
18, 1996. Addressed to: The Centre for Human Rights--Geneva. Copied to: 
Council of Khalistan--Washington, DC.

       Dear Sir: We the Sikh residents of Thailand solemnly affirm 
     that on the 15th of July around 6:00 AM a house owned by a 
     Thai Sikh was encircled and searched by about twenty fully 
     armed Thai policemen. Nothing incriminating was found in the 
     house. The police arrested and detained the owner of the 
     house along with a pro-Khalistan activist named Mr. Nam Singh 
     who is well known in the Indian Government circles as Kanwar 
     Pal Singh Chawla of Amritsar who was holding a Pakistan 
     passport and a Thai work permit.
       The pro-Khalistani activist or the so-called extremist is 
     reported to have been outside India for several years and was 
     only attached to the political wing of the Khalistan movement 
     and was not involved directly or indirectly in any kind of 
     violent actions.
       The owner of the house was cleared on bail around 6 o'clock 
     on the same evening on the minor charge of harbouring an 
     alien.
       The pro-Khalistani or the so-called extremist was 
     interrogated for long hours and forced to sign un-specified 
     papers and was denied and deprived of his fundamental right 
     to have an access to legal advice. No visitors were allowed 
     to see or talk to him. On the following morning the owner of 
     the house contacted in person a Thai Human Rights activist 
     and Magsasay Award winner Mr. Thonghait Thongpao to seek his 
     help in this matter. Before Mr. Thongpao could do anything 
     about the so-called extremist the Thai police secretly put 
     him on flight TG3112 to Katmandu to be handed over to the 
     Indian authorities which is grossly against Human Rights. As 
     he was a bona-fide Pakistan holder and had a legal and valid 
     Thai work permit he should have either been deported to 
     Pakistan or be allowed to fight his case in Thailand. We have 
     no knowledge whatsoever whether this unwarranted action of 
     the Thai police was taken with the knowledge of the Thai 
     government or not. If he was on the so-called ``wanted'' list 
     of the Indian government the Indian authorities should have 
     gone through the proper and legal channels to have him 
     deported directly to India instead of Nepal. The reason for 
     deporting the ``extremist'' to Nepal and not India is an old 
     Indian tact to fool the world that an armed militant was 
     killed while trying to infiltrate into India using Pakistani 
     passport via Nepal.
       We the Sikh residents of Thailand would really appreciate 
     if the Centre for Human Rights could look into this matter 
     and take the necessary and urgent measures with the Indian 
     government to ensure that the so-called extremist is humanely 
     and well treated and justice is done with him. Please make 
     sure that he is not subject to a third degree torture or 
     killed in false encounter.
       Thanking you in anticipation for your favorable and prompt 
     action.
           Truly Yours,
     Sikh Residents of Thailand.

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