A 23-year-old man of Thai ethnicity was seized in a dawn raid on his flat in Lerwick, Shetland on Tuesday. The Home Office want to deport him to Thailand - where he has no family, can't speak the language, and faces imprisonment or conscription on arrival.
A YOUNG Shetland man of Thai origin was arrested in Lerwick in an early morning raid yesterday (Tuesday) and is presently being held in a police station in Glasgow.
Sakchai Makao, of 51 Haldane Burgess Crescent, has been living in Shetland for the last 13 years.
It is believed that the 23 year old's arrest may be linked to the Home Office's efforts to trace around 1,000 foreigners with a criminal record who have not been considered for deportation.
Mr Makao was sentenced to 15 months in prison for fire raising, in January 2004. He is presently employed at the Lerwick Clickimin Leisure Complex and is one of the isles' top athletes.
A local campaign (comments to
nodeportationfromshetland@yahoo.co.uk) to get Mr Makao back to Shetland has already been started and has also the support of isles MP Alistair Carmichael.
The local police force was not involved when Mr Makao's flat was raided by eight officers at around 7am.
Lerwick police sergeant Mark Czerniakiewicz was unable to confirm yesterday afternoon that such an operation had taken place in the town. However, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate confirmed that indeed the arrest had taken place.
Mr Makao was taken on the 2pm flight to Aberdeen. His mobile phone has been taken off him and his parents who live in London have unsuccessfully tried to get in touch with him all afternoon.
Davie Gardner, the father of a close friend of Mr Makao, said the treatment he had received was "absolutely inhumane".
He said Mr Makao had paid for "a moment of stupidity", but he was exonerated when the Shetland Recreational Trust decided to give him back his job at the local leisure centre.
Mr Gardner said: "He has most certainly never stepped out of the line since. He got his job back, is terrific with kids and is very friendly with us. He is the best guy that comes around the house.
"It is an absolute crime to send him back to a country he has never really lived in.
"I always believed that Tony Blair and John Reid were slightly above George Bush, but that belief has ended today. I am so anti that I would welcome a Tory government coming in, because at least they are honest right wing bastards.
"If this is what a Labour government is doing then my last vote has gone their way, that is for sure."
Northern isles MP Alistair Carmichael was busy last night establishing what had happened to Mr Makao.
He said he was disturbed and concerned about the treatment Mr Makao had reportedly received.
"I will first of all try to get proper representation for Mr Makao so that he can get a fair hearing.
"I would want to know whether they had ever served any deportation papers on him, or is this the way they do it now: you just get your door kicked in at seven o'clock in the morning.
"If they haven't served a deportation notice on him, then why not? If it wasn't local police they have used, then why have they not used local police? What was it that was considered so dangerous in this operation that it took eight people to do it? It is concerning."
Originally published on Shetland-News.co.uk
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Sakchai Makao, of 51 Haldane Burgess Crescent, has been living in Shetland for the last 13 years.
It is believed that the 23 year old's arrest may be linked to the Home Office's efforts to trace around 1,000 foreigners with a criminal record who have not been considered for deportation.
Mr Makao was sentenced to 15 months in prison for fire raising, in January 2004. He is presently employed at the Lerwick Clickimin Leisure Complex and is one of the isles' top athletes.
A local campaign (comments to
nodeportationfromshetland@yahoo.co.uk) to get Mr Makao back to Shetland has already been started and has also the support of isles MP Alistair Carmichael. The local police force was not involved when Mr Makao's flat was raided by eight officers at around 7am.
Lerwick police sergeant Mark Czerniakiewicz was unable to confirm yesterday afternoon that such an operation had taken place in the town. However, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate confirmed that indeed the arrest had taken place.
Mr Makao was taken on the 2pm flight to Aberdeen. His mobile phone has been taken off him and his parents who live in London have unsuccessfully tried to get in touch with him all afternoon.
Davie Gardner, the father of a close friend of Mr Makao, said the treatment he had received was "absolutely inhumane".
He said Mr Makao had paid for "a moment of stupidity", but he was exonerated when the Shetland Recreational Trust decided to give him back his job at the local leisure centre.
Mr Gardner said: "He has most certainly never stepped out of the line since. He got his job back, is terrific with kids and is very friendly with us. He is the best guy that comes around the house.
"It is an absolute crime to send him back to a country he has never really lived in.
"I always believed that Tony Blair and John Reid were slightly above George Bush, but that belief has ended today. I am so anti that I would welcome a Tory government coming in, because at least they are honest right wing bastards.
"If this is what a Labour government is doing then my last vote has gone their way, that is for sure."
Northern isles MP Alistair Carmichael was busy last night establishing what had happened to Mr Makao.
He said he was disturbed and concerned about the treatment Mr Makao had reportedly received.
"I will first of all try to get proper representation for Mr Makao so that he can get a fair hearing.
"I would want to know whether they had ever served any deportation papers on him, or is this the way they do it now: you just get your door kicked in at seven o'clock in the morning.
"If they haven't served a deportation notice on him, then why not? If it wasn't local police they have used, then why have they not used local police? What was it that was considered so dangerous in this operation that it took eight people to do it? It is concerning."
Originally published on Shetland-News.co.uk
**************************************************************************
See the thread at
http://www.shetlink.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=2 and sign the petition at
http://www.shetlink.com/modules.php?name=ePetitions&op=more_info&ePetitionId=2
