Extradition of Hakeem al-Arabi to a third country being suggested by Thai FM

Diplomacy has wandered into the testy situation between Bahrain, Australia and Thailand in the case of jailed Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Arabi. He remains in detention awaiting an extradition hearing in a Thai court.

In a move to move the attention away from Thailand, Thai Foreign Minister Don Paramudvinai says Australia and Bahrain should hold talks to resolve the case by having him sent to a third country instead of extraditing him to Bahrain to face imprisonment or by sending him to his requested country of asylum, Australia.

He said he had already proposed the option to both Bahrain and Australia, noting that it would be less complicated and would help resolve the problem, adding that Thailand was willing to help facilitate the talks.

Mr. Don said yesterday that it was Australian Interpol which first alerted their Thai counterparts of Bahrain’s arrest warrant against al-Arabi as Bahraini authorities were asking Thai authorities to have the footballer apprehended.

He maintained that the footballer’s case was now in the judicial process and a decision was at the discretion of the Thai courts.

On Monday, the Criminal Court agreed to extend al-Arabi’s detention for 60 days until April 22 to allow his lawyers more time to fight his extradition to Bahrain.

The jailed footballer’s case has attracted the attention of international human rights organisations, foreign media and international sports organisations, including FIFA, all of which have voiced their strong objection to his extradition to Bahrain to serve a ten year prison term for alleged vandalism of a police station during the ‘Arab Spring’ protests.

The Thai government has also come under heavy criticism for its harsh treatment of the case and of the prisoner.

SOURCE: Thai PBS