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This News Service is posted by the
International Secretariat of Amnesty International,
1 Easton Street, London WC1X 8DJ
(Tel +44-71-413-5500, Fax +44-71-956-1157)
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News Service 50/96
AI INDEX: ASA 39/06/96
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 13 MARCH 1996


AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PROTESTS AT DETENTION OF DELEGATES IN
THAILAND

BANGKOK --  Amnesty International strongly protested today
against action taken by the Thai government to disrupt the
international launch in Bangkok of a worldwide campaign
against human rights violations in China.

      Two Amnesty International staff were detained by Thai
police officials on their way to a scheduled press
conference. The officials admitted that the delegates were
detained in order to prevent the press conference taking
place, and told them ~it is not good for Thailand to allow an
attack on China to come from here~.

      ~Amnesty International regrets that the Thai government
should try to silence us in this way,~ the organization said.~This action  
highlights the degree to which foreign
governments continue to accept that China~s human rights
record should not be open to international scrutiny and
criticism~.

      The two delegates, Anita Tiessen and Pierre Robert,
were taken to a police station ostensibly to have their
passports and visas checked.  They were released two-and-a-
half hours later, without any further explanation.
      ~As the delegates had been in Bangkok for several days,
this visa check an hour before the scheduled press conference
was clearly designed to prevent it taking place,~ Amnesty
International said. ~The delegates obtained visas through the
correct channels, declared the purpose of their visit and
sought meetings with Thai government officials.~

      Despite the detentions, the Secretary General of
Amnesty International, Pierre Sane, managed to hold the press
conference, where he condemned the actions of the Thai
authorities, and said that Amnesty International would be
sending a letter of protest to Thai Prime Minister, Banharn
Silpa-archa. He briefed the international and Thai press on
Amnesty International~s concerns in China.

      Amnesty International~s campaign highlights the massive
human rights violations which persist in China, despite
economic reforms. The Chinese government allows torture to
continue, uses the death penalty to try to cure social
problems, brutally cracks down on ethnic groups calling
peacefully for more independence, and detains hundreds of
thousands of people every year without charging them with any
crime.

      Opening the press conference, Pierre Sane said: ~the
Thai government~s attempt to silence Amnesty International is
futile. It does not augur well for the future of freedom of
expression in the region. It must be linked to China~s
growing power and influence and contempt for international
human rights standards~.

      Following the press conference, Thai police and special
forces in riot gear stopped the delegation at the entrance ofthe Chinese  
Embassy, where they wanted to deliver Amnesty
International~s  report on China  ~No one is safe~.
      Amnesty International~s report is being released
simultaneously in press conferences around the world. Bangkok
was chosen as the place for the international launch, because
the organization has consistently been denied access to
China. Bangkok is the first stop on a regional tour which
includes Hong Kong and Tokyo. The Thai government~s attempt
to disrupt the launch would seem to run counter to the good
relationship the organization has always enjoyed with the
Thai government, and Thailand~s international reputation as
an open society, Amnesty International said.

      ~The Chinese government goes to great lengths to block
international criticism,~ Pierre Sane said. ~The Thai
authorities~ actions highlight the extent to which other
governments are prepared to toe the line.~

      ~Amnesty International will continue to speak out
around the world about the human rights situation in China.
The international community should also hold China to account
rather than acting in their own self-interest.~

ENDS\



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